Skins '24' Valentine's Day
by matureskinsfan
Summary: How would the Series 3 Skins characters spend Valentine's Day? Will it be twenty-four hours of unremitting romance and love or will other feelings get in the way? Will jealousy, resentment, anger or frustration win the day? Skins goes '24'. Read on!
1. Chapter 1: 0600 0800

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

This is a brand new story which I have decided to write in the lead up to the new Skins series at the end of January 2010. It is intended to be a story about a twenty-four hour period in the life of the Skins characters – but not just any old day, any old twenty-four hour period. It is Valentine's Day! The story will start at 06.00 on February 14th and end at 06.00 the following day and will follow all the characters as they move through this special day, both together as a group and individually. The idea for this story was given to me by Skins fanfic reader **darkangel20098** to whom I must give my sincere thanks and recognition for kindly allowing me to use this concept as the basis for my story.

It will have the same basic structure as the famous '24' US drama series, but with each chapter representing a time period of **two** hours – I would have liked to have made each chapter represent one hour in length but I don't think I have the time to write 24 chapters between now and the end of January!!

I hope you like it and I will be really grateful to receive any reviews, comments and criticisms along the way. Your support and feedback on the story will, as always, be so important in helping me work out where I want to take it – as some of you who have read my stuff before already know, I'm not big on planning a story in great detail right down to the concluding chapter. I prefer to 'make it up' as I go along, to a large degree!

* * *

**Time: 06.00.01**

She had only been asleep for a couple of hours at the most, she reckoned , before the excitement of the day ahead must have been too much for her to want to waste it by being unconscious. She had woken up with a start but with a huge smile on her face as well, not to mention a nervous, fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach. She so wanted this day to be an unqualified success, a day that would live long in the memory. She could hardly wait to see the look on Naomi's face as she presented her with each successive little Valentines surprise that she had arranged for her.

She had spent ages planning the day down to the last detail, trying to leave nothing to chance, desperate to ensure that their first Valentines Day together would be a totally memorable experience for both of them. As she ran through the agenda in her head she looked over at the blonde girl whose bed she was sharing and who, unlike Emily, was still fast asleep, totally oblivious to what lay in store for her that fast approaching day. Naomi breathed so quietly when she was asleep that it was often almost impossible to tell if she was actually still alive and breathing. Only the tiniest, barely noticeable rise and fall of her chest gave Emily the reassuring sign that all was well.

Emily reached out a hand and ever so gently stroked her girlfriend's hair, running her delicate, trembling fingers through the long strands of platinum blonde-coloured locks. Her fingers were shaking with a mixture of simmering sexual desire and acute anxiety that her caresses, however soft and careful, might awaken the sleeping beauty lying inches away from her. At one point Emily was afraid she had woken up the slumbering blonde but mercifully Naomi merely stirred a fraction to let out a small, ladylike grunt before resuming her peaceful, rhythmic, nocturnal breathing.

Emily let out a small sigh of relief but reluctantly withdrew her hand and lay back in the bed, reflecting once more on her plans for the day. First item on the agenda was a special breakfast menu which she was going to prepare for the two of them and bring in on a tray and present to Naomi in bed. The redhead intended it to feature all her girlfriend's favourite breakfast choices: freshly squeezed orange juice, warm croissants, scrambled eggs and mushrooms with thin slices of Scottish smoked salmon, fresh fruit and a pot of piping hot decaffeinated coffee.

All the ingredients had already been secretly bought and hidden in the Campbell kitchen, out of Naomi's sight and she had gratefully enlisted the help of Gina, Naomi's mother, in thinking of places to hide the tell-tale food items so that Naomi wouldn't accidentally come across them and start asking awkward questions which might ruin the surprise. Gina had thought it was a wonderfully romantic way for the two girls to start the day and had promised that Emily could have a free run of the kitchen first thing in the morning to make her Valentine's Day Breakfast. And it was those very breakfast preparations that Emily was mulling over in her mind as she inadvertently slipped into dreamy, blissful unconsciousness once again.

* * *

**Time: 06.25.18**

Cook's eyes shot open for perhaps ten seconds, just long enough for him to take in the fact that he was in his own room, for once, and to mildly speculate on what must have woken him up. It had to be either some particularly loud snoring, even for him, or more likely an especially loud fart which he was always proud to admit to anyone who would listen had always proved to be a much more effective means of waking himself up in the morning than any alarm clock. Judging by the delightfully stale and pungent aroma of chicken tikka massala that now filled the room and was starting to infiltrate his twitching nostrils, his money was on the fart.

He closed his eyes again and stretched out his arms as he gave an enormous yawn and then stopped short as he felt something firm make contact with his left hand. He turned his head to the side, opened just the left eye, (opening both eyes for any length of time being a task way too difficult for Cook to accomplish before eight o'clock in the morning) and was momentarily astonished to see the unmistakeable form of a human body lying next to him in the bed.

From the long flowing tresses of dark hair, the sweet aroma of perfume which he could detect and which contrasted sharply with the still lingering smell of his Indian food flatulence and the delicately shaped feminine shoulders and arms that were visible above the duvet, he came to the reasonably safe conclusion that it was a woman.

Thank fuck for that, he thought. For one brief second the horrific thought had crossed his mind that he might have crashed out at Freddie's and somehow landed up in bed with his best mate. But he couldn't have got _that _pissed, surely. Clearly not. He turned his head to the side once more and had a good look at the sleeping figure next to him.

The female in question was lying on her side and her long, brown hair was hiding all her facial features so it was impossible for him to make out who it was. There was only one thing for it, he thought. He nudged her with his elbow, not hard but with sufficient force to provoke a deep grunt from the sleeping figure and an involuntary movement in which she turned over from sleeping on her side to lie on her back, thereby bringing her face into full view. Now Cook could have a good look at her and much good it did him! _No, not a fucking clue who she is_, he thought. _Can't remember her name, can't remember where I must have picked her up, can't even recall coming back here with her._

Not that any of that particularly bothered Cook or gave him any feelings of shame or embarrassment. He was accustomed to waking up with all manner of strange girls and women in his bed – or anyone's bed, for that matter – and this would not have been the first time he had woken up next to some peacefully sleeping girl and not had a Scooby-Doo who the fuck the lucky cow was.

The fact that she was still with him in his bed clearly meant that he had succeeded in having his evil way with her the night before. If she hadn't been up for a shag, he would have sent her packing long before he had fallen into a state of unconsciousness. Cook wasn't n the habit of inviting girls back to his place for coffee and some polite, stimulating conversation. The only stimulation he was ever interested in a girl giving him revolved around his cock.

As the subject of his cock came into his head he turned round to peer a little more closely at the stranger and he realised that she wasn't at all bad-looking. Quite tasty, in fact, he thought and as he stared at her, gently pulling back the duvet just enough for him to note with appreciation the generously full breasts bobbing up and down as she breathed silently, he wondered if she might be up for an early morning quickie. He certainly was, if the steadily increasing length of his dick was anything to go by. Perhaps he wouldn't actually need to disturb her by waking her up. It would be a shame to interrupt her beauty sleep, he thought, surprising himself in the process with such a show of consideration and sensitivity.

He looked at the young girl some more before reluctantly deciding against it. He preferred his women to play a fully active, very vocal part in his sexual gratification. He hated it when they just laid back submissively and thought of England or whatever the hell it was the quiet ones thought about while he was doing all the bloody hard work humping away as if his life depended upon it. He lay back and closed his eyes, wondering with a certain indifference if the next time he opened them again she would be gone.

* * *

**Time: 07.10.37**

JJ lay curled up in a little ball in his bed and looked across at the alarm clock on the bedside table. There was still plenty of time before he had to force himself to get up and face the dreaded day, which is how he viewed the arrival of February 14th. He had never looked forward to Valentine's Day throughout his entire life – in fact he hated it and usually wanted the day to be over as quickly as possible. But this year he knew it was going to be worse than ever as all his friends were completely loved up. This knowledge filled him with an intense feeling of depression.

Freddie would be looking forward to spending the whole day with Effy – if she would let him, Pandora likewise with Thomas. Cook, naturally enough, would be aiming to beat last year's record of getting off with as many girls as possible in the twenty-four hours allowed to him and stuff the concept of romance and love. Uncomplicated sex, as often as he had the energy for it and with as many willing victims as he could find, would be the only thing uppermost in what passed for Cook's mind that Valentines Day.

Even his best and closest friend Emily would in all probability be out of circulation for the day. He had no doubts that she had been planning all manner of unspeakably romantic and lascivious treats for her beloved Naomi. He could just about bring himself to believe that Emily might forbid Naomi from leaving her house, or perhaps even the bedroom, as she sought to ravish the blonde's beautiful body all day long. JJ felt himself blush and shudder nervously as he tried to conjure up images of the sort of things that his closest friend and her girlfriend might get up to that day in the privacy of their own romantic boudoir setting.

They were bound to be things which he, as a seventeen year old boy of limited sexual experience, to wit just a single charity notch on his bedpost courtesy of a very sympathetic and kind-hearted Emily, couldn't even begin to understand or appreciate. JJ really liked girls, increasingly so in fact, especially in the last twelve months or so. Sadly, girls didn't seem to like him or at least not in the way he wanted them to like him, which was of course sexually although, unlike Cook, he would have preferred a bit of romance to be thrown into the equation as well as straightforward sex.

He had never received a Valentines Day card, he had never been in a position to take a girl out in the evening for a fabulously romantic, candlelit dinner in a quiet little restaurant and he'd not even been close to getting his leg over with any beautiful girl who was searching for some nice, kind, sensitive guy to be her very own Valentine for the day. This was the stuff of dreams for JJ and naturally enough he had spent a restless, fitful night, tossing and turning – or rather tossing off and then turning over to be slightly more accurate – as he slipped in and out of improbable dreams of meeting a lovely girl who would be his Valentine, even if it was just for that one solitary day.

_It's no good,_ he thought, throwing back the duvet in frustration and leaping out of bed. He could feel the first signs of uncontrollable rage and resentment welling up inside of him and he was well aware he had to nip it in the bud before it took him over completely. Otherwise before he knew it he would lose all control of his emotions and fly into a fit of rage which would inevitably lead to him leaving a trail of destruction and chaos in his wake. He had to do something, anything, right now which would preoccupy his mind and calm the smouldering fire of rage that was threatening to burn away at him inside his head.

He ran out of his bedroom, flew down the stairs and into the kitchen, intent on making himself an incredibly early breakfast. His mother would still be fast asleep so he knew he had the kitchen all to himself. He would put the kettle on, make himself some toast, pout our some Cornflakes and generally keep himself busy and focused on this one simple routine task. He had to try to take his mind off the unpalatable yet inescapable fact that today would be a sad, miserable, depressing day for him when he would feel more alone than he felt on any other day of the year.

* * *

**Time: 07.45.55**

'What the fuck's this?' asked Effy, with a quizzical look on her face.

'Open it and find out,' replied Freddie, a little disappointed by the lack of pleasure or even mild interest in her voice.

Effy looked back at him in silence, appeared to consider the possibility of not bothering to carry out Freddie's suggestion for a moment before finally very slowly opening the envelope and taking out the card. She read the front without showing any visible sign of reaction then opened it up and read what was written inside. Freddie had spent ages trying to think of something profound or meaningful to put inside the card but as usual he had drawn a complete blank, imagination not being his strongest suit.

'So how long did it take you to come up with this…….drivel?' asked Effy, making no effort to keep the scorn and contempt out of her voice.

'Not that long,' lied Freddie, trying unsuccessfully to mask his disappointment at her reaction by forcing an unconvincing weak smile. 'I'm crap at that sort of thing, I know.'

'Well, you've certainly surpassed yourself this time, I've got to hand it to you. _'Be forever mine. Be my Valentine. Take me to your heart. I've loved you from the start.'_

Effy screwed up her face in horror and stuck her fingers into her mouth, as if she was trying to make herself sick.

'Is this supposed to impress me? Am I meant to throw my arms around you and promise you my undying love on the strength of some pathetic schoolboy- infatuated card?'

Freddie face dropped markedly at Effy's possibly excessively harsh analysis of his laudable efforts at romantic poetry. OK, he knew it wasn't great, but surely it's the thought that counts. To be dismissed so contemptuously like that, without a word of appreciation or thanks for the effort he had made to be romantic, to reveal in all their naked vulnerability his emotions and feelings – well, that really hurt, he couldn't pretend otherwise.

'I'm sorry to have to do this, Freddie, but I'm afraid you leave me with no option.'

The tall, slim brunette walked over to the desk, picked up a pair of scissors from one of the tidy tubs and proceeded to cut up the card into lots of tiny pieces, very slowly, very deliberately, all the time smiling and laughing at Freddie who watched her in utter dismay and embarrassment. at her callous rejection of his show of affection.

When she had finished she collected the pieces in her hands and then, throwing her head back and bursting out into a demonic, chilling peal of laughter, threw the strips of card up into the air and then gleefully watched them fall down onto the floor, one by one.

'Now, be a sweetie and get out of here, Freddie, will you? I'm not interested in being anyone's Valentine and even if I was, I definitely wouldn't be yours. JUST FUCK OFF!'

Freddie almost jumped out of his skin as he sat bolt upright, several beads of sweat slowly trickling down his face, as he gasped out loud. He looked around him and realised he was still in the shed where he must have fallen asleep last night after he had said goodnight to JJ

SHIT! How many more dreams like that one would he have to endure? How many more times would he wake up in a cold sweat, worrying himself sick about what Effy would say to him, what Effy was thinking about him, whether she even cared about him much at all? He really wished he hadn't sent that Valentine's card to her now. At least he hadn't made it obvious that it had come from him, he had at least disguised his handwriting and this time he **had** remembered not to sign it which he had stupidly and absent-mindedly done many years ago when he fancied this girl at junior school. .

But he was afraid at what Effy's reaction would be to receiving a Valentine's card which she was bound to guess had come from him, even if he pretended he hadn't sent it. Besides, he was hopeless at lying so she would know instantly it had come from him. Would she like it, think it was sweet, thank him for it by kissing him ever so sweetly and sexily as she pressed her warm, sensuous utterly gorgeous body up against his? Or might she hate it, throw it away the moment he had left or even rip it up in front of him?

That was the problem. That was what was driving him insane, giving him sleepless nights or waking him up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat when he did manage to fall asleep. HE JUST DIDN'T KNOW! He couldn't read Effy to save his life. He hadn't the foggiest idea whether their first Valentine's Day together would be a wonderfully romantic occasion or a miserable, depressing day of uncertainty and confusion. He sighed heavily, threw himself back against the hard, uncomfortable sofa and screwed his eyes tight shut to block out the frustrating image of an enigmatic, mysterious, unemotional Effy continuing to hold back from showing him her true feelings.

**Time: 07.59.59**


	2. Chapter 2: 0800 1000

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

This is the second chapter in my new Valentine's Day story. I 'm very grateful to those of you who reviewed the first chapter and I hope you all enjoy this second one. As you will see if you read on, the action finally begins to hot up a bit and I can promise you there are plenty of surprises, plot twists and turns and dramas in store for all the characters as the story unfolds. Please do review if you can spare the time!

* * *

**Time: 08.10.01**

Pandora was sitting at the kitchen table eating her breakfast. For once, though, her mind wasn't really on food at all, even though she was tucking in to strawberry jam on toast and Danish pastries which would normally have captured her fullest attention. On this occasion, however, her mind was fixed firmly on listening for sounds of the postman arriving with that day's mail and one letter in particular – Thomas's Valentine's card.

The poor girl was fretting like a cat with ten kittens and could hardly keep still to save her life, continually jumping to her feet at the slightest sound which she wrongly imagined to be that of the postman putting letters through the letterbox. Of course if Panda had been able to calm herself down sufficiently to think things through, she might just have worked out that it would be far easier for her to grab hold of and hide any Valentine's card before her mother could get to see it if she waited for the postman outside the house.

Sadly such clarity of thought and precision of logic featured very rarely in Pandora's permanently cluttered and bizarrely random mind. Never before having enjoyed the intensely exciting yet anxious feeling of impatiently waiting for the arrival of a Valentine's card from her boyfriend, she knew none of the subtleties and subterfuges required in order to keep such things secret from the rest of one's family. Her childlike innocence, which more than anything endeared her to other people so easily, was in danger here of proving to be her potential undoing.

Suddenly she heard the unmistakeable sound of letters being pushed through the letter box and with a speed that fair took the breath away she was flying across the kitchen and out into the hall. Within seconds however she pulled up short with a feeling of utter dismay at the sight of her mother, who seemed to have materialised out of nowhere, already at the front door and bending down to pick up the post.

'Pandora!' exclaimed Mrs Moon, with the familiar note of disapproval in her voice. 'There really is no need to tear around the house like that. What's got into you? Please do calm down, darling. It doesn't do to get so excited'

Pandora's heart sank as she watched with bated breath as her mother closely inspected all the letters in turn. None of them succeeded in provoking more than a casual interest until she came upon the last one, which was clearly not a business or official-type letter, being in a blue envelope and significantly addressed to Pandora Moon. She looked across at her daughter who had let out a small gasp of pleasure and yet horror at the same time as she recognised Thomas's handwriting on the front of the envelope.

'What's this, Pandora?' asked her mother sharply and the rising tone of her voice indicated that she was beginning to smell a rat.

'I don't know, Mum,' Pandora said, unable to look her mother in the face, and tried desperately not to blush as she lied. 'Maybe it's from college. I'd better take it away and read it later, I guess. It's probably not important.'

'No, Pandora. I want you to open it and tell me what it is right now, please.' Her mother's insistent and deliberate tones left Pandora with no option but to do as she was told, even though she knew the consequences would almost certainly be very damaging indeed. She took the envelope that her mother was holding it to her and opened it with a kind of nervous excitement and anticipation.

Sure enough, it was as she had correctly guessed a Valentine's Day card, a really lovely one full of typical Thomas warmth and affection to his beloved Panda. She looked up at her mother with an uncertain, guilty expression and could feel her heart thumping away at the rate of knots. She really didn't know what to say. She didn't want to take the chance of another lie but she knew her Mum would hit the roof when she saw the card. Boyfriends and messages of undying teenage love for her daughter were not on the agenda of Mrs Moon's wish list for her one and only offspring.

'Well? Is it from the college, Pandora?'

'Um….no, not exactly. It's really nothing important at all, Mum. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you.'

Pandora knew that the chances of her mother not worrying unduly about her daughter, whom she had assiduously endeavoured to protect from the constant threat of boys for seventeen years now, receiving a Valentine's card from what could only be her boyfriend, were nigh on zero.

'Show me, please, Pandora!' Mrs Moon had an uneasy feeling about the contents of the envelope and her worst fears were immediately confirmed as soon as Pandora handed it over to her with obvious reluctance. A quick glance at the front and inside of the card was all she needed before exploding with barely suppressed rage and disappointment at her daughter's clear deception and disobedience of her express commands on the subject of boys.

'Pandora! I am extremely angry and disappointed at you. You have deliberately defied me over my strict rules about boys. Go to your room immediately while I consider what further action I am going to take against you.'

Pandora closed her eyes in sheer misery at her predicament and trudged forlornly up the stairs. The odds on her now spending a wonderfully romantic Valentine's Day with Thomas seemed very remote indeed, if not nigh on impossible.

* * *

**Time: 08.20.57**

This was not how things were supposed to have gone, thought Emily, almost on the point of crying out loud with frustration and impatience. In her daydreams of the perfect Valentine's Day spent with Naomi she had coolly and calmly rustled up her specially prepared Valentine's breakfast without the slightest hitch along the way. It had been delivered on schedule at the carefully appointed hour with a swagger and an air of assurance that spoke volumes of her self-control and calmness under pressure. Instead, she was already running late and the menu was still far from perfection in her eyes.

She had already burned the first batch of croissants (thank God she had bought plenty just in case of disasters) and she was still struggling to produce the light, fluffy scrambled eggs that she knew Naomi adored. The concoction that was staring at her right at that moment was light years from fitting the bill of 'light and fluffy.' Thick, gooey and shapeless was probably a more accurate description of the scrambled eggs mixture that was partially stuck to the bottom of her saucepan.

Every other time she had made scrambled eggs, admittedly not for the love of her life on such a romantic day as this, it had been nothing short of a triumph. Love certainly seemed to be getting in the way of her normal culinary skills that morning and she was getting more than a touch pissed off and angry with herself. She glanced at the clock once more, let out a short sigh of irritation, and then took a couple of huge breaths in a desperate attempt to regain her composure.' _Concentrate, you idiot!_,' she admonished herself and reached for some more eggs to start the process all over again. She was terrified that Naomi would wake up to find her bed empty, come downstairs and spoil her wonderful surprise.

* * *

**Time: 08.25.32**

Freddie stood outside Effy's front door waiting for someone to answer the door. He was hoping to God it wouldn't be Effy's Mum as he always felt very awkward in her presence. He never seemed to know what to say to her and it made him feel unusually tongue-tied which was quite unlike him with women of all ages. But she had increasingly come across as a bit unstable, moody and temperamental since her husband had left the family home and he was keen not to be drawn into any uncomfortable, long silences with her.

He was relieved when the door opened to see that it was Effy who stood on the doorstep, looking absolutely gorgeous and totally cool despite the fact that she was still clearly wearing her night things, hidden behind a sexy, short dressing-gown.

'Hi,' he said with a warm smile, but before he could go any further a loud yell rang out behind them, forcing Effy to wince in embarrassment and turn round to shout an answer back at her mother.

'If that's your father come to wish me a Happy Valentine's Day, just tell the twatting wanker to fuck off!'

'It's only Freddie, Mum. It's not for you.' Effy looked back at Freddie and shook her head in silent disbelief at her mother's foul mood and equally foul language which she feared would rub off on her that day if she didn't get away from her clutches any time soon.

'It never is,' muttered a cantankerous Mrs Stonem, still hidden from Freddie's view. 'Nobody's interested in me any more. No-one's going to turn up on _my _doorstep to give _me_ flowers and chocolates and take me out for a romantic meal. I'm just a sad, lonely old cow who's stuck on the shelf for the rest of her life.'

Effy turned round again to face Freddie who had raised his eyebrows and was wincing back at Effy in a display of sympathy for her obvious plight. To be stuck in the house with the mother from hell who was clearly intent on feeling sorry for herself in a big way was no way for anyone to spend Valentine's Day. Just as well he had come to rescue her from all this self-pitying slow torture, carry her off on his white steed and take her to a more beautiful place. Well, he had forgotten the white horse, admittedly, but he did have his skateboard with him and he was planning to suggest they go down to the water park for the morning. Surely she wouldn't turn that invitation down?

'D'you fancy hanging out down at the water park this morning?' he asked, hoping and praying she hadn't got any other plans in mind which didn't involve him.

'Anywhere's got to be better than here.' Effy replied, puffing out her cheeks and looking thoroughly miserable and pissed off. 'Just give me ten minutes to get ready?'

'Fine,' said Freddie. 'Just DON'T invite me in, okay? I don't think I could stand to have to listen to your mother ranting and raging against all men in general but taking it out on me in particular. I'll wait out here, alright?'

Effy couldn't help but smile at Freddie's reluctance to come inside and face the fire-breathing dragon that was her mother all on his own, without anyone else on hand to keep him safe and protect him from her. She nodded and disappeared back inside, gently closing the door behind her, leaving a relieved Freddie to kick his heels outside.

* * *

**Time: 08.35.18**

Pandora was sitting on her bed crying, tears rolling down her cheeks and shoulders shaking with a heavy despair at the thought of her plan to spend a fabulous, romantic day with Thomas having been thwarted by her mother before it had even started. Now that the cat was out of the bag, she wondered if worse still was to follow and that she wouldn't be allowed to even see or speak to Thomas ever again.

She had to think of a way to get out of the house and spend some time with Thomas, explain what had happened with her mother and the card. If this was to be their last day together, whether for a very long time or perhaps ever, then she wanted to spend of much of it with him as possible before the curtain was lowered for good on their secret relationship.

She knew she wasn't clever enough to think of a cunning plan which would allow her to see Thomas without her mother suspecting anything and refusing to let her leave the house. Fortunately she also knew someone who was and it was to that person who Pandora now turned as she ran to fetch her secret, spare mobile, the one her mother knew nothing about and which Panda kept hidden away from her mother's prying eyes but which was to be used only in emergencies. Without a shadow of a doubt her present situation fell into the bracket of an Emergency, a Crisis with a capital 'C' all done up in flashing neon lights. She needed help badly and she needed it right then.

* * *

**Time: 08.40.27**

Cook smiled cheekily at the not unattractive girl with the long brown hair as she waggled her delicate fingers at him in a cute gesture of goodbye and disappeared through the door. Ideally he would have liked her to have stayed a bit longer so he could find out a few things about her – like maybe her name, where she lived, what she did, that sort of stuff. Not essential information, obviously, but nonetheless handy background knowledge which might come in useful the next time he wanted a shag and there was no-one else available within easy reach.

But he had other plans in mind and sadly for her they didn't involve this unidentified bed companion who he had just sweetly booted out of his room. No sooner had she disappeared from view than Cook was reaching for his phone and calling a very familiar number from his list of friends.

'Cook? What do you want?' asked Freddie, with an unmistakeable note of concern and suspicion lingering in the airwaves between them.

'Freddie! How are you doing, my son! What are you up to, this fine morning? I feel in the mood for some larks this morning and I want you and JJ with me.'

'Well, I'm a bit busy this morning, Cook. Maybe later, yeah?'

'What do you mean, busy? Busy doing what? And who with?'

There was a notable silence during which Cook could just about hear Freddie sighing and muttering something to himself. 'If you must know, I'm going over to the water park with Effy. I'm over at her place, waiting for her to get ready and then we're off.'

'Hey, that sounds like a great idea. I'm up for a bit of that. I'll meet you both over there as soon as I can.'

'No, Cook! Look, we just want to spend a bit of time on our own, you know. Like, it's Valentine's Day today, okay? We just want to be together….just the two of us…..on our own.'

'Valentine's Day! Fuck me, I forgot about that. Hey, that should draw out some real talent to the park, don't you reckon? Good thinking, Freds.'

'Didn't you just hear what I was saying? Effy and I want to spend some time alone together. We don't need you hanging around us like a fucking chaperone!'

'Hey, Freddie, trust me, you'll hardly know I'm there, I promise. Besides, I'll have to bring JJ as well and he won't want to be hanging around watching you two getting it on any more than I will. Catch up with you soon, Freds!'

'Cook! Please don't …….' But Cook had already rung off, leaving Freddie swearing out loud at his mate's sledgehammer approach to arranging everyone else's lives to suit his own particular requirements.

'What's got you wound up?' asked Effy, unexpectedly coming out through the front door at precisely the moment when Freddie was swearing profusely at his mobile after Cook had rung off. 'Who was that?'

'Just Cook.'

'What did he want?'

'Nothing much.' Freddie was keen to veer the subject away from Cook and certainly wasn't going to volunteer the news that he was planning to join them at the water park.

'What took you so long? I thought you were only going to be five or ten minutes? I've been hanging around out here for ages.'

'Come on,' said Effy, giving him one of her notoriously mysterious looks that drove him both wild with excitement and to utter distraction in more or less equal measure. 'I'll tell you on the way.'

* * *

**Time: 08.50.16**

Emily and Naomi were sitting on Naomi's bed facing each other, both absolutely stuffed after having polished off a fine breakfast which Emily had finally succeeded in producing to her perfectionist's satisfaction. Naomi had been totally blown away by Emily's first romantic surprise of the day and had smothered her with kisses and hugs to show her appreciation. Emily was now sitting on the bed with the broadest beam on her face, absolutely delighted with how the first element in her plan had gone and overjoyed at her girlfriend's reaction to it.

'I wonder if there's been any post delivered,' said Naomi with a wicked twinkle in her eyes and a barely suppressed grin on her face. 'Perhaps I should go down and see.'

'No need. I've already brought it up.' Emily reached down a hand to the side of the bed and brought up three envelopes which she placed on the duvet between the two of them.'

'Three?' Naomi looked quizzically at the redhead who shrugged her shoulders and handed two of the envelopes to the blonde. 'Two of them are for you. This one's for me, it seems.'

'Which one should I open first, do you reckon,' asked Naomi, staring deep into her girlfriend's eyes and grinning.

'I think you should open the yellow one. I prefer yellow to pink,' said Emily, smiling, though not without hiding a small amount of uncertainty and apprehension about the second of the envelopes which had come as a complete mystery to her. Naomi picked up the yellow envelope, opened it and read the card and its contents very slowly and silently.

The front of the card, which was clearly home-made, not shop-bought, carried the message 'To The Love of my Life' above a collection of roses and violets inside a large red heart, complete with the traditional arrow going through it. The inside of the card carried a much more personal yet superficially slightly enigmatic message.

'Naomi.

Be mine for ever.

I will be yours.

Together, always.

Never apart.

We can be as one.

Eternally, Madly, I Love You.

Naomi appeared overcome with emotion and tears started to fill her eyes as she read the message inside the card several times. Eventually she looked up at Emily and through a slightly shaky voice that came close to choking said. 'That's beautiful' and then threw her arms around a shyly beaming Emily. The two girls held each other tightly for a while, before launching into a series of passionate kisses. After a while, Naomi drew back and said to Emily, 'Come on, you have to open you r card now.'

Emily wasted no time in tearing open the envelope and reading Naomi's card to her which, although not home-made like Emily's, was nevertheless one of the most beautiful shop Valentine's cards she had ever seen and bore an equally romantic, heartfelt and moving personal message, written in Naomi's fair hand, the blonde not having seen the point of trying to disguise it. After all, she wanted Emily to know the feeling s expressed in the card were indisputably hers and hers alone.

The process of passionate embraces and kisses of gratitude began all over again and it was a minute or two before they broke up their love-in and both stared down at the one remaining pink envelope as yet unopened. Naomi looked up at Emily with a small smile hovering across her lips and asked the redhead 'Have you got me a second card just to confuse me, Ems?'

'No,' replied Emily in all honesty. 'It took me long enough to make this one.' The blonde stared mischievously at her girlfriend to try to detect if she was having trouble keeping a straight face but Emily seemed genuine enough in her denial that she was the author of this second envelope. Naomi opened it quickly and read it with a puzzled look on her face before handing it over to Emily to read herself.

'Who's it from?' asked Emily unable to conceal completely her bewilderment and disappointment from the love of her life.

'No idea. I don't recognise the handwriting. It's probably just someone we know having a joke, Em.'

'Do you think so?' said Emily, without sounding totally convinced by this plausible suggestion.

'It has to be. It's probably Cook. I bet you it's him. It's the sort of thing he'd find fucking hilarious, playing a joke on the two of us like that.'

Emily's face brightened up a little. Yes, perhaps Naomi was right. It might be Cook who had sent it. It could easily be his warped idea of a laugh. Though right at that moment, in stark contrast to how she had been feeling only a few moments before, Emily wasn't finding it terribly easy to burst out laughing at Naomi's mysterious second Valentine's card.

* * *

**Time: 09.20.55**

The telephone ring had an ominous quality to it within the Moon household, cutting an unexpected swathe through the silence that had descended upon the uneasy atmosphere which had taken root over the course of the last half hour.

Mrs Moon picked up the phone and answered it. 'Hello?'

'Is that Mrs Moon – Pandora's mother?' Having got confirmation that it was indeed Mrs Moon, the caller continued. 'This is the College Director at Roundview College speaking. Is Pandora unwell this morning?'

'Um , no , not as far as I know. She's fine. Why do you ask?' Mrs Moon was temporarily taken aback by such a strange question and wondered what this could possibly be leading to.

'Well, it's just that Pandora was supposed to be coming in to college this morning at 9.00 to re-write an essay on Shakespeare. Her last one wasn't up to the required standard and she had been told to come in on Saturday morning and do it again under my supervision. Hasn't she told you about that?'

'No, she certainly has not! I'm terribly sorry, College Director. I'm afraid Pandora has clearly been very distracted from her studies of late. I am taking steps to ensure this does not continue. I will speak to her immediately and ensure she goes straight to college and reports to you.'

'Thank you Mrs Moon. I would be very grateful if you would. I'm giving up my Saturday morning also, as I'm sure you appreciate. I don't want to have to add her non-attendance this morning to her college report as well.'

Pandora's mother put the phone down and screamed Panda's name from the foot of the stairs, waiting with simmering anger for her daughter to come down the stairs which she duly did within seconds. She read Panda the riot act and Panda admitted that she had completely forgotten all about her detention which she was supposed to be undergoing right at that moment. She was summarily ordered by her mother to get her college things together and make her way straight to college. She left with a flea in her ear and was warned that she could expect to face a long and painful discussion with her mother on her return from college concerning the issues of boys, her failing college studies and the concepts of truth, honesty and obedience within the family home

* * *

**Time: 09.30.19**

Effy's mobile rang and she picked up the call immediately on seeing who the caller was. 'Well, did it work?'

'Oh my God, it worked a blinking treat, Ef. You're a blooming genius, that's what you are. Mind you, she'll kill me if she finds out it was you all the time.'

'Not before she kills me first, I guess. Anyway, let's hope she never finds out. I've spoken to Thomas and he's going to meet us all at the water park in fifteen minutes.'

'Wizard! I thought I wasn't going to be able to see him today at all after Mum found out about the card. I 'm coming over now. I'll see you there. Thanks a million, Ef, you're a complete brick.'

Effy couldn't stop herself bursting out laughing at Pandora's uniquely old-fashioned style of paying her a compliment and showing her appreciation for her best friend.


	3. Chapter 3: 1000 1200

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

This is the third chapter in my Valentine's Day story which covers the period between 10.00 and 12.00. Please do review if you can spare the time –all your comments will be most welcome and much appreciated! Why not let me know how you would like to see the action progress and which characters' stories are you most interested in seeing unfold?

* * *

**Time: 10.05.01**

The front door rang whereupon JJ called out to his mother that he would get it, seeing as how she was tied up with the housework upstairs. He wondered who could be calling at this time of the day – they didn't get many visitors as a rule. However when he opened the door it was with a sinking heart that he found a familiar, smiling face greeting him cheerily on the doorstep.

'JJ! I've come to take you out to play. Come on, get your coat. We've got things to do, places to go. No time to lose!'

'Hi, Cook. What do you mean? I was planning on spending a quiet day at home, actually.' What JJ really meant, but didn't dare say, was that his plans for that particular day ideally involved not getting dragged into any of Cook's hair-brained schemes which were more than likely to include him getting off with loads of girls while he, JJ, stood by watching with increasingly jealousy and embarrassment.

'But it's Valentine's Day, JJ. It's a day for romance and love. How do you think you're going to find any romance stuck at home with your Mum all day?'

'Since when did you give a toss about romance and love, Cook? All you're interested in is getting off with as many girls as you can. If any girl said they loved you, you'd run a bloody mile.'

Cook laughed and ruffled JJ's hair in cheery acknowledgement of his friend's frank assessment of him which, he had to admit, was bang on. JJ jerked his head back in annoyance. He hated it when people did that condescending thing with his hair. It didn't seem to matter how many times he asked his mates not to do it, they still took no notice and thought it was their right, indeed their duty, to patronise him like that.

'DON'T do that, Cook,' he protested with as much vehemence as the normally placid, gentle soul could muster. 'You don't want to see me get angry and get locked on, do you?'

'Okay, okay, Gay Jay. Calm down. Come on, get your coat, we've got a date in the water park.'

'**We**? You mean _you_ have. Who with?'

'I don't know. I haven't met her yet. But they'll be loads of single, lonely, sexually frustrated girls down at the park this morning, girls who haven't received a Valentine's card and who are desperate to meet their Valentine, even if it's just for one day. Even _you_ might stand a chance of picking up someone today, JJ!'

This was just the sort of ridiculous plan JJ was anxious to avoid getting mixed up in, a day in the company of a super-confident, brash, sexually overactive Cook. Cook would doubtless spend the whole day working his way through every half decent bit of skirt that he could get his hands on while JJ would inevitably be left sitting on the sidelines feeling awkward, shy and self-conscious. He would have loved to have been brave enough to decline Cook's very tempting offer of entertainment and just wallow in his own misery alone at home but Cook was clearly in no mood for an argument. Within a minute he had practically helped JJ into his own coat and was pushing him out of the door and into the street.

* * *

**Time: 10.20.37**

Emily was waiting for Naomi to jump in the shower before she made the necessary phone call. She hated the idea of doing something behind Naomi's back but she didn't want her to have any inkling of how she was feeling. She was keen not to give her even the slightest indication of the pangs of jealousy and suspicion that had risen up inside her from the moment her girlfriend had opened up that second anonymous card. She was desperate to allay her worst fears in secret and then get on with enjoying their special day together free from any negative thoughts and unwanted distractions.

She scrolled down her list of phone contacts and selected the person she was most anxious to have it out with there and then. She waited impatiently for her call to be answered, tapping nervously on the table with her fingers and squirming around in her chair. After what seemed like an age, a voice came onto the line. 'Emily? Hi. What's up?'

'Cook, you fucking bastard! What's the big idea of sending Naomi a Valentine's card? Why would you want to upset me like that?'

'What _are_ you on about, Emily? I've never sent anyone a Valentine's card in my life and I'm certainly not going to start with Naomi.'

There must have been something in Cook's tone which prompted Emily to pause for few seconds and consider if she might have got it wrong, that he might be telling the truth. Cook had many faults, she knew, but lying, strangely enough, had never been one of them.

'I take it, then, that Naomi's received a Valentine's card that's not from you and you thought it had to be me that sent it as a joke?'

'Well, let's face it Cook, you've always liked taking the piss out of Naomi and winding her up. Of course it has to be you. Stop lying and just admit it and then we can all get on with enjoying our day.' Even as she spoke, though, Emily felt her heart beat a little faster and her stomach turn an enormous somersault.

'I promise you it wasn't me. Can you _really _see me going to all that trouble over a girl, even for a joke? Be honest! You're going to have to look elsewhere to find out who's been tugging your twat.'

Cook's words rang depressingly, frustratingly, heartbreakingly true and forced her to mumble goodbye and ring off. It just wasn't his style, Emily was forced to acknowledge. Besides, Cook had never done anything to come between her and Naomi since they had officially become 'an item'. Why would he start now? It had to be someone else. But who? And why? Unless, of course………….Her disturbing train of thought was suddenly interrupted by Naomi walking into the room, having showered and dressed in rapid time.

'Okay, I'm ready. Who were you on the phone with?' asked the blonde, having heard Emily's voice and now noticing the mobile still held in her hand.

'Oh, just Mum,' replied Emily, getting up and turning away slightly so that Naomi couldn't see her face betray the fact that that she was lying. 'I just rang to say I wouldn't be back tonight.'

'So you're expecting a long night of romance and passion, eh?' Naomi's bright blue eyes sparkled wickedly at Emily who forced an exaggerated smile back at her girlfriend in an attempt to conceal the growing confusion and uncertainty that lay smarting behind her own big, brown eyes.

* * *

**Time: 10.28.54**

'Are you going to be seeing Emily today, love?' Jenna casually asked her eldest daughter as she slumped, yawning extravagantly, into a chair at the kitchen table. Katie had deliberately slept in late that day as she knew that, for the first time in donkeys' years, she had no reason to get up early and waylay the postman to see how many Valentine's cards she'd been sent. With no adoring boyfriend in tow and none on the horizon either, the only way she was going to receive a Valentine's card this year would be if she had posted one to herself - not that she hadn't briefly flirted with the idea, of course, before dismissing it as the ultimate sad, desperate and straw-clutching act of a lonely, frustrated loser.

'Shouldn't think so,' she replied, pouring herself a cup of strong, black coffee. 'She'll be all loved up with Naomi the whole day. They'll be holed up in their own little love-nest at Naomi's house, I expect. They probably won't even come up for air.'

Jenna closed her eyes and shuddered at the image conjured up by Katie of Emily and 'that girl' (as she still steadfastly insisted on calling Naomi) indulging in unspeakable sexual acts of such wicked depravity that they made her feel quite sick to think about them.

She had hoped that their 'relationship' would have died out by now, that Emily would have finally become bored with the whole thing and returned to the bosom of her family, with her tail between her legs and begging for forgiveness for having put them all through so much grief for the sake of a teenage experiment. But that possibility seemed more remote than ever before, judging by what Katie had just said.

'Why do you want to know?' Katie asked, surprised at her mother's question. Since her twin had come out to the whole family and Naomi had officially become her girlfriend, her mother hardly even mentioned Emily's name any more. They rarely saw her and she hardly ever came home to spend the night there. Katie had felt more and more like an only child since Emily had become so infatuated and wrapped up in her platinum-blonde, first ever real girlfriend that she had virtually moved in with her at Naomi's house.

'Oh, no reason. Just wondered, that's all.' There was a slight pause during which Jenna appeared to be staring off into the distance, as if transfixed by some unknown object or image which couldn't be seen by her daughter. 'I can remember the years when you used to drag Emily off to some party on Valentine's Day in the hope of you both meeting some nice boys there.'

'Yeah, well, fat chance of that happening this year. I'll probably be having an early night with a mug of cocoa and a crap romantic novel instead.'

But Katie was determined she wasn't going to be spending this Valentine's Day all on her Jack Jones. She didn't yet know who she was going to coerce into being her escort for the day, she still had to go through the list of potential suitors but she was buggered if she was going to be left on the shelf with all the other sad losers that night.

* * *

**Time: 10.45.16**

'This is so peaceful,' said Effy, in answer to Freddie's hesitant question as to why she had been so quiet since they had settled down in the water park. They were lying on a lilo in the middle of the lake, far away from any of the other couples that had had the same idea of taking advantage of the unusually mild mid-February temperatures and going for a swim and sunbathe at the lake. They had already enjoyed a quick dip in the lake, just long enough to brush the early morning cobwebs away and get their blood circulation working before they could no longer stand the sharpness of the water and sought the sanctuary of the lilo and their towels again.

'I guess it's pretty shitty at home at the moment, then. With just you and your Mum, I mean.' said Freddie, sympathetically. He knew how difficult life could be at home without one of your parents and Effy didn't even have a sibling to turn to either any more, not since Tony had gone off to university. Not that Freddie would ever have dreamt of turning to his sister Karen for help and support when things got tough – she was worse than Effy's Mum!

'Yeah, it's not exactly a barrel of laughs living with her. She's so full of self-pity and resentment. She spends half the time crying and the other half of the time shouting and screaming and ranting against all men.' Effy fell silent for a while then added with an air of genuine anxiety and unaccustomed frankness. 'She scares the shit out of me sometimes.'

'_You_ get scared? How do you mean? Do you think she'll do something stupid to herself…….or even you?'

'Fuck, no! She wouldn't have the will-power or the imagination for that. No, I mean I get really scared that………..well, that maybe one day I'm going to turn out like her.'

Freddie had never heard Effy talk about herself and her family like this before and he couldn't help but be intrigued, as much as he was concerned to learn that this ostensibly supremely confident, laid back and perfectly controlled girl was capable occasionally of being frightened and worried about something.

'What makes you think that?'

.'I don't know…… maybe because we're so alike, me and Mum. She's screwed up her life and all her relationships with men and I've been much the same. I expect I'll end up as mad and lonely as her eventually. '

'Not if you allow people into your life. You don't _have_ to end up like her provided you open up a bit to other people, let them get to see the real you and not keep them at a distance from you all the time.'

'Meaning you, I suppose,' said Effy, grinning broadly at Freddie whilst noticing the contrasting seriousness of his expression.

'If you like. I mean, I'm here whenever you need to talk, you know. You don't _have_ to face everything on your own. It won't kill you to let other people help you from time to time.' He reached out his hand and held hers gently whilst looking deep into her twinkling eyes.

'Just like you said in your card, eh?'

Freddie grinned sheepishly and his cheeks almost turned bright red at the memory of the soppy sentimentality that had found its way into the message he had written in Effy's Valentine's card. 'So you did get it after all?'

'Of course. It was nice. It's standing on my bedside table, if you must know.'

'I was afraid you would hate it, tear it up and throw it in the bin.'

'Did you really think I could be so horrible as to do that?' Effy stared hard at Freddie.

'No. Not really,' Freddie lied and leaned across to exchange a slow, warm, tender kiss with the brunette. However, in so doing he disturbed their fragile equilibrium on the lilo and before they could correct the imbalance the lilo flipped upside down, tipping them both screaming and shouting into the water, where they splashed about for a while, both howling with laughter.

* * *

**Time: 11.07.36**

Cook and JJ had only been down at the water park for half an hour and already Cook had a bevy of attractive young girls clustered around him, hanging on to his every word. He was halfway through his second can of lager and was in his element, holding court to an adoring new audience who had clearly never heard his routine patter before and consequently were lapping it up.

JJ was sitting on the periphery, as usual, a little detached from the rest of the group, shaking his head in amazement at how easy and effortless his mate made the whole excruciatingly painful and nerve-wracking business of chatting up girls seem. He couldn't compete with Cook and so didn't even bother to try chipping in, merely contenting himself with watching a master at work.

All of a sudden one of Cook's new disciples detached herself from the group and came and sat down next to him which immediately filled him with a mixture of surprise and suspicion. What could she possibly want with him – she can't have lost interest in Cook, surely? She was a cute looking girl, with long, dark hair, a small button nose and beautiful, big brown eyes which seemed full of warmth and fun.

'Hi,' she said, with a shy half-smile which immediately calmed him down from the initial feelings of apprehension that had gripped him when she approached him. 'Is that guy a friend of yours?' she asked, indicating with her head towards Cook.

JJ smiled ruefully back and apologised, as was his wont, for Cook's typically extrovert, overbearing attitude which tended to steamroller everyone else in his path. 'Yes, that's Cook. I'm sorry about him. That's just him, I'm afraid, he likes to take control and be the centre of attention, particularly with girls around.'

The young girl nodded as if she understood exactly what JJ meant and smiled a little more confidently at him before asking, 'But you're not like him, I see. I mean, you're not exactly a double act, are you? You've just been sitting on the side, not saying a word.'

JJ looked down at the ground in silence for a few seconds before plucking up the courage to be brutally honest with her. 'Well, I 'm …..no….no good with girls. I can never think what to say to them so I just tend to…..say… say nothing and sit back and watch Cook do his stuff.' He wished his nervousness hadn't overtaken him and prompted his embarrassing stammer which as usual made him feel even more self-conscious.

She laughed and smiled warmly again at JJ, who shyly returned her smile. Something told him this girl wasn't laughing _at_ him, but rather laughing with him which was an altogether novel experience for him but one that he was finding very pleasant.

'I know just how you feel. My older sister's one of those girls hanging on to his every word right now. I'm just the quiet, awkward, younger sister who tags along for the ride but doesn't say anything herself - at least not normally.' They fell silent for a while, each seemingly taking a time out to think about what the other had just been saying and reflect on its significance. Suddenly the young girl took a deep breath and said, 'I'm Mary, by the way.'

'JJ.' Mary's face couldn't hide her curiosity and amusement at such an odd name and JJ felt compelled to explain further which he didn't always have the confidence to do with everyone he met for the first time. 'It's short for Jonah Jeremiah . My father was very religious. But everyone calls me JJ, even my Mum now.'

'JJ works better,' said Mary approvingly and held out her hand with a certain degree of formality and politeness that JJ found utterly adorable. 'It's nice to meet you, JJ.'

JJ shyly held out his hand and they completed the formalities before slowly and almost reluctantly withdrawing their hands. JJ felt an unaccustomed shock wave run right through his entire body as he made physical contact with this delightful girl. Not even on that momentous occasion when Emily had graciously allowed him to lose his cherry with her had he felt quite the same ripples of excitement thrill his whole body the way their simple handshake had done to him just then.

What the hell could this mean, he wondered. Was he genuinely attracted to her?

He wanted to carry on talking to her, wanted to find out more about her. For the first time in his hitherto sheltered life he found himself chatting away to a completely strange girl and not feeling uptight, panicky, and completely tongue-tied. He didn't want this morning to end.

* * *

**Time: 11.25.19**

'What's the matter, Em? You've been really quiet since breakfast.' Naomi reached out a hand and stroked Emily's bare arm, an expression of real concern etched all over her face.

'Nothing,' replied Emily, forcing a weak smile and rolling over on the blanket on which both girls were sitting. They had started their picnic at the lake some ten minutes ago but although it had been Emily's avowed intention to attempt to re-create their first visit to this favourite beauty spot of her, her head had been full of questions, doubts and suspicions which had rendered her largely silent since they had sat down.

'Come on, Ems, I know you. There's something on your mind, I can tell. What is it?'

Emily pursed her lips and looked up at Naomi with eyes that seemed to shout out for reassurance before plunging down to the ground again in embarrassment for even daring to question the blonde girl's fidelity and love for her.

'It's that fucking second Valentine's card, Naomi. I can't get it out of my mind. I need to know who sent it to you; it's doing my head in.'

'I told you, it was probably Cook who sent it for a wind-up.' Naomi smiled in a gesture of encouragement and shook her head in amusement at the redhead who, to her mind, was getting her knickers in a twist about nothing.

Emily shook her head slowly and forlornly and corrected Naomi. 'No, it wasn't, I checked with him. He completely denied it and I believe him.'

'Well, he would deny it, wouldn't he if he was playing a joke on us? Come on, this is Cook we're talking about after all!'

'It wasn't him, Naomi, I know it. I could tell he wasn't lying.'

'Okay, so it was someone else having a joke at our expense. What does it matter, anyway?' Naomi paused for a moment, looking closely at Emily who wouldn't look her in the face, and then she tugged on her hand to get her attention and force her to look up at her. 'Unless of course you think it wasn't a joke and that the card was for real. Is that what you think, Em?

'No!.... I mean, I don't want to believe it was for real. I mean….you'd tell me if there was someone else, wouldn't you?'

Naomi's mouth shot open in utter dismay and astonishment that Emily could even have considered for a second that there could be anyone else in her life but her.

'Emily! I can't believe you could even think that! You're the only person in my life, you have to believe me. I couldn't do that to you!

'I do, honest! Its just that………well who would want to play such a horrible trick on us like that? If it wasn't Cook, then who else could it be? Who would be so bitter and twisted to want to try to make me think like that, to try to put a barrier between us and make me have these awful suspicions and doubts?'

'Well, one obvious name springs to mind,' said Naomi thoughtfully, her mouth hardening at the image of someone who had never been on her side from the very start and wouldn't think twice about trying to break them up.

'Who?'

'I'm not sure if you'll remember her. You haven't seen her for a while. She's called Katie and she's your lovely, kind-hearted, sweet-natured sister.'

'Katie wouldn't do a thing like that!' Emily was shocked to hear Naomi accuse her sister of carrying out such a cruel joke and instantly sought to defend her without even thinking.

'No? How can you be so sure? Think about it, Em. She's never liked me, has she? And since we've been together she's become a sad, lonely, jealous old cow. What makes you think she's incapable of something like that? After all, she knows you better than anyone. She would know exactly how you would react to me getting another Valentine's card. She would guess it would sow the seeds of doubt in your mind about me and she was right!'

Emily looked across at Naomi with such a sad, shocked expression that Naomi couldn't help but pull the redhead gently towards her and give her a huge hug, wrapping her arms around her back which she rubbed comfortingly. Emily slowly put her arms around Naomi's neck and clung on to the blonde for dear life as a few isolated tears started to fall down her face, tears of both shame at having, if only briefly, contemplated the possibility that Naomi could be seeing someone else and disappointment at the idea of her twin sister being the cause of this awkwardness in their relationship.

Eventually, after receiving countless reassuring words of comfort and protestations of undying love from Naomi that couldn't help but lift her spirits and finally put a huge smile on her face, Emily released her vice-like grip on her girlfriend and pulled back, whilst still holding firmly on to Naomi's hands. She smiled apologetically at Naomi and said 'I'll call her and find out, shall I? So we can finally put this whole thing to bed, yeah?'

'Let's deal with bed first, shall we? Then you can call her. I think I might have one or two things to prove to you which _should_ put your mind at rest!'

* * *

**Time: 11.40.28**

Not that long after Naomi was painting a vivid picture to Emily of Katie being a sad, lonely, jealous twin sister, Katie was lying stretched out on her bed with her phone clutched tight in her hand. She was feeling more sad, lonely and jealous of her sister than ever before and was feeling particularly sorry for herself. She needed to boost her flagging self-confidence by finding a date for the day but the cupboard was looking depressingly bare at that time. All the eligible candidates were already spoken for and all those guys who would jump at the chance of jumping her – well, she wouldn't touch any of them with a bargepole.

She'd been through her list of contacts in her mobile for the last half hour but nobody's name had leapt off the page and shouted 'Pick me!' at her. She started going through the list yet again in case she had missed someone the first time round in her feverish haste to find an escort and after a while she came to a halt.

There was a name staring up at her at the bottom of the fourth page which she didn't remember seeing the first time round. But then there was no reason why she should have given it some thought. The whole idea was preposterous! _You've got to be fucking joking, girl! Get a grip! You'll be a laughing stock if you turned up anywhere with HIM! Jesus! You really are losing it.'_

Yet something stopped her from moving on to the next page. For some reason which she couldn't quite pinpoint, this unexpected option made her think long and hard for a while and prompted her to hold her index finger over his name for a few seconds before finally pressing down with a degree of indecisiveness and calling up his mobile number. Why the fuck not?

After all, he wouldn't say no, that much was certain. In fact he'd think it was Christmas and birthday all rolled into one. And didn't she need above all to feel good about herself, to prove to herself that she still had power over guys, that she could still twist them around her little finger and get them to do whatever she wanted? In that respect he was absolutely perfect for the job of boosting her ego and self-worth!

* * *

**Time: 11.43.15**

JJ had just spent the most wonderful forty-five minutes or so of his short life to date chatting away to his new found friend, Mary, who had made him feel more at ease, more interesting and more self-confident than anyone had ever succeeded in doing before. The two of them had quietly taken their leave of Cook's congregation of worshippers and had gone for a walk around the park on their own. They had swapped stories about school, family, friends and countless other topics. Both of them were revelling in the rare opportunity to shine in their own right without being continually overpowered and overshadowed by other more extrovert and self-assured friends and relations.

'What are you doing the rest of the day?' asked Mary, hoping he had nothing special fixed up. Not that she was brave enough to ask him directly to take her out somewhere or just chill out with her all day, but she thought he might take the subtle hint she was giving him and suggest they stick around and do something together.

'Um…..well, I don't know really. I guess it depends on what Cook wants to do I wasn't planning on going out at all today until he turned up and persuaded me to come down here.'

Mary pulled a face and raised an eyebrow to indicate that explanation required further detail. JJ thought about making something up for a moment but then decided he could cope with telling this particular girl the uncomfortable truth.

'Well, Cook likes me around when he's out on the pull, for some strange reason. Maybe he likes showing off how good he is with girls. Or else he thinks I might eventually pick up a few tips from him on how to get a girlfriend.' JJ laughed slightly nervously at his own foolishness but Mary smiled at him and said 'I don't think you need Cook around to have a good time, do you, JJ? I mean, I've been talking to you now almost an hour and I've been having a brilliant time. I hope he forgets all about you and leaves us alone for the rest of the day.'

JJ's heart was thumping like a drum on hearing those incredibly flattering and complimentary words and he giggled involuntarily which in turn set Mary off in to a fit of giggles as well. The two of them were still chuckling like a couple of naughty school kids over some childish rude joke when JJ's phone rang and interrupted their moment of shared humour.

'Don't tell me it's him wondering where you've got to!' exclaimed Mary, shaking her head in disbelief. _Surely this arsehole wasn't going to snatch JJ away from her just as they'd really started to click with each other. That would be the absolute pits!_

JJ looked at his phone and was extremely surprised to see who the caller was. 'No, it's not Cook. It's another friend, actually. I'd better take it. Do you mind?'

Mary shook her head and gesticulated to JJ to pick up the call.

'Hi, Katie! This is a surprise. What's up?'

He listened intently while the elder twin poured out her lonely hearts sob story down the phone to him. Mary sat quietly a few feet away from JJ but didn't take her eyes off the young lad all the time he was speaking. She was able to observe at close quarters all his varied facial expressions which revealed first concern, then surprise and finally, so she thought, a touch of regret and disappointment at what this 'friend' was saying to him. After a couple of minutes he said a somewhat muted goodbye and switched his phone off, looking down at the ground anxiously for a few seconds before looking up and into the curious yet anxious face of Mary.

'I'm really, really sorry, Mary, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to go A friend of mine needs my help and I can't let her down. She's worried about something and has to meet me urgently.'

'Oh,' said Mary, trying to hide the crushing disappointment she felt at hearing the news that JJ had to go. 'That's okay. You should always be there for your friends when they need you, after all. I'm sure you'll be a very good friend to this Katie.'

'Can….Can I……..Can I see you again later on?' JJ suddenly blurted out in a panic-stricken rush as the fear of not seeing Mary again became greater than his own embarrassment and nervousness at the thought of being turned down on his first attempt at asking a girl out.

'I'd love to, JJ,' said Mary and her sparkling eyes shone with joy and relief that this cute, shy, delightful boy had finally found the courage to do what she had been desperately praying he would – ask her out!


	4. Chapter 4: 1200 1400

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

Previously on '**Skins 24 – Valentine's Day'**: Cook drags a reluctant JJ down to the water park where JJ meets a girl called Mary whom he takes a liking to. Emily is desperate to find out who sent Naomi the other Valentine's card and the girls have an emotional discussion about it during a special lakeside picnic re-enactment. Effy opens up to Freddie about her fears that she will turn out like her mother. Katie asks JJ to meet her for lunch as she is desperate not to spend Valentine's Day on her own.

* * *

**Time: 12.10.01**

As Cook strode into his uncle's pub, hotly pursued by a gaggle of giggling girls, all seemingly jostling for position as first in line for his attentions, Freddie and Effy watched from a disrespectful distance back with resigned, world-weary expressions borne out of long experience of Cook's pulling powers. They had accepted Cook's invitation to join him and his newly acquired harem for a liquid lunch without any great enthusiasm. Both of them were thirsty and neither could be bothered to argue with Cook who appeared to be in one of his 'won't take no for an answer' moods.

'What the fuck happened to JJ?' asked Cook, turning a puzzled face towards Freddie as he stood at the bar getting the drinks in.

'Search me,' replied Freddie with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders. 'I'm not his keeper. I thought _you _were looking after him.'

'The last time I saw him,' said Effy with a mischievous glint in her eyes, 'he was walking around the park with some girl. He seemed to be managing without you okay, Cook.'

'You're joking. JJ was actually chatting up some girl? Who was she?' Cook's disbelief at Effy's revelation was written all over his face.

'No idea,' said Effy. 'Does it matter? He seemed to be enjoying himself so leave him alone for once. Let him breathe without you climbing all over him, Cook.'

'It's fine by me, babe,' grinned Cook, as he picked up a pint of lager and immediately proceeded to pour a good third of the contents of the glass down his neck. 'I've got my hands full with this lot in any case. Besides, if he needs any help with the instructions on the packet, he can always call me.'

Freddie and Effy exchanged meaningful glances whilst shaking their heads in silent amusement and Effy couldn't resist a sly dig at Cook before he moved off to join the gaggle of girls who were noisily and impatiently waving him over to join them.

'That's really thoughtful of you, Cook. Not many friends would be that considerate.'

* * *

**Time: 12.18.36**

JJ took a bite out of his tuna and spring onion baguette and looked across at Katie with a bemused expression as he chewed away ravenously. He had agreed, with considerable reluctance it has to be admitted, to meet up with Katie for lunch as she had begged him to and he was still waiting for a reason some ten minutes after joining her in the sandwich bar.

'So, what is all this about Katie? Why did you need to see me in particular?'

'I need to ask you a big favour, JJ. You're the only person who can help me, who'll understand where I'm coming from and I think I can trust you to ……well, be discreet.'

This rather vague yet intriguing initial response had at least succeeded in arousing JJ's curiosity. 'What sort of favour, exactly. Why haven't you asked Emily rather than me? She is your sister, after all. I'm sure she can help you better than I can, whatever it is.'

'No, JJ, she can't. I need a guy, not a girl. I'm not like Emily, not in any way. I need a guy to……well, be my……my Valentine for the day, if you like. I'm all on my own, you see and I want someone to take me to the Valentine's Day party tonight.'

JJ nearly choked on the strawberry milkshake that he had begun drinking as Katie was talking and for a few seconds he was spluttering and coughing so violently that Katie thought he must be having some kind of fit. Eventually he managed to get his breath back, after going pink in the face and trusted himself to speak without going into any more spasms.

'Why me? I mean….its not as if you actually…….well, fancy me or anything, do you?'

Katie had anticipated that JJ was going to have to be persuaded as to the sincerity of her request and had already worked out her probable line of attack.

'I've asked you because you're the only one who really understands what it's like to be alone, JJ. I mean everyone else we know is paired off, aren't they? Freddie's with Effy now, having well and truly dumped me ages ago. Panda's all loved up with Thomas and Emily and Naomi, well you can't even prise them apart with a crowbar.'

JJ stared at Katie, barely able to believe his ears and his eyes were boggling like he'd just heard the incredible news that the world was just about to come to an end, which in one sense it might as well have been, from his point in view. _**Two**_ women falling over themselves to go on a date with him today after years of not having had so much as a sniff of a date! Girls were just like buses, then. Nothing for ages then two come along at once. He felt obliged to point out one rather obvious oversight she had made in her summarising of the currently available and eligible males of her acquaintance.

'Haven't you forgotten Cook? He's not spoken for. I'm sure he would love to keep you company for the day. He'd be a much better Valentine than me, Katie. In fact I'd say he would be perfect for the job.'

'JJ, you can't be serious. I think I'd rather sit at home on my own and slit my wrists than go out with Cook.'

'I really do think you'd be better off with him than me, Katie.'

'I don't believe it! Are you turning me down, JJ?'

Katie's face suddenly screwed up into the most appalling contortions and she looked like she was about to burst into floods of tears. He shoulders started shaking violently and she quickly turned her face away from JJ so he couldn't see the shattering distress that was etched all over her face. Hours of patient practice in front of the mirror over many years had enabled Katie to perfect the art of conjuring up a convincing display of tears at a moment's notice.

'Oh, no, Katie! Please don't cry. It isn't that I don't find you attractive. You're an extremely attractive girl, honestly. It's just that I've…….' JJ's voice tailed off as he struggled to find the right words to explain the dilemma he was in without upsetting Katie even more. '_Because I've just met this lovely, shy, gentle girl called Mary who's the complete opposite to you'_ didn't really feel appropriate or helpful at that precise moment.

'Just what?' Katie cried out in anguish, barely suppressing a sob, still with her face half turned away from JJ.

'Oh, nothing really…..' JJ's reply tailed off lamely as he realised he couldn't bring himself to be so cruel and heartless to Katie who clearly was badly in need of some sympathetic male attention from someone who wouldn't just take her for granted and callously love her and leave in the morning. 'Okay, Katie, I'll do it. I'd be very honoured to be your Valentine for the day and take you out tonight.'

Katie swung around immediately flashing a huge, grateful, well rehearsed smile, the tears of a few seconds ago having miraculously vanished into thin air. She leaned forward, took hold of JJ's hands and kissed him softly on the cheek, causing him instantly to blush and giggle nervously.

'Thank you, JJ. You are such a gentleman! I can't thank you enough. Now hurry up and finish your sandwich. '

'Oh! Why? What's happening now?' he asked anxiously, wondering what the hell she was going to spring on him next.

'Well, I think we should go back to your place. I want to see what you've got in your wardrobe. You _do_ want to part if you're going to be taking me out tonight, don't you?'

* * *

**Time: 12.45.53**

Pandora looked at her watch and registered with dismay that it was high time she trudged back home to face the music with her mother. She had enjoyed an idyllic morning with Thomas down at the water park, during which time they exchanged Valentine's presents and thanked each other for their cards in time-honoured fashion but now it was approaching the moment when her mother would be expecting her back from her college detention. Pandora knew that if she bunked off even just for the afternoon with Thomas, never mind the rest of the day for the party at the club, the consequences didn't bear thinking about.

'I've got to go, Thommo. My Mum will kill me if I don't go back.' Her big, sad eyes looked up at Thomas with longing mixed in with utter frustration at how unfair life was. If her Mum knew how kind, gentle and totally unlike all the other guys in their group Thomas really was, then she surely couldn't have any reason to worry or complain about her going out with him. But her Mum had this blind spot about all boys on which she simply wouldn't be moved. What possible hope was there for the pair of them?

'Hang on, Panda. I've got an idea. It just might work. Tell me what you think of this.'

Over the next five minutes Thomas expounded in detail his grand plan for winning over Pandora's mother. Pandora listened with weary scepticism at first but this soon gave way to a feeling of cautious optimism. By the time Thomas had finished explaining his suggestion for winning over the Ice Queen, Pandora was dancing around with unrestrained joy, convinced that Thomas had come up with a plan that had a realistic chance of succeeding and allowing them both to go to the club together that evening.

'That is mega wicked, Thommo! Let's go home straight away and put it to her!' cried an ecstatic Pandora at the top of her voice, her childlike excitement revealing itself in its customary fashion.

'Okay, Panda, but you'll have to learn not to shout and scream like that if you don't want to irritate your Mum before we've even explained it to her.'

'Righto, Thommo. Of course I will. Calm, calm, calm.' Pandora went through her deep breathing exercises which her mother forced her to do every day and which now predictably had Thomas in stitches, as with every time he had ever watched Pandora practice them when they were together.

* * *

**Time: 13.12.26**

'I'm thinking of getting out of this place, Freddie.' Effy's unexpected statement, delivered with quiet simplicity and in a typically casual, offhand manner which totally belied the seriousness of its implications, stunned Freddie momentarily and rendered him speechless. He put down his pint slowly on to the table and looked at Effy intently, thinking at first she must be joking.

But there were no tell-tale signs of Effy's sense of humour. There seemed to be no slight curling up of the corners of her mouth to indicate she was just pulling his leg, no twinkle in her eyes to show she was merely trying to get his undivided attention. Consequently this simple statement of intent had all the impact of a bomb having gone off in Freddie's head.

Freddie laughed nervously and said, 'You're joking, right?'

Effy shook her head slowly and stared him straight in the eyes without betraying any discernible emotion.

'What do you mean, 'this place'? Home? You're thinking of leaving home?

'Maybe not just home.'

'Why? It can't be THAT bad living with your Mum?'

'How the fuck would you know? You've never tried it. It's hell, trust me. I don't think I can put up with it any longer.'

'Oh come on, Effy. I do know what it's like living in a one parent family, remember? It takes time to…..get over things, you know, move on. But it does get better…. eventually.'

He didn't know if the argument he had just put forward would carry a great deal of weight with the clear-thinking, composed brunette but he was desperate to get her to reconsider. His mouth had suddenly turned very dry and he picked up his glass again to take a much-needed slurp of lager to moisten his dry throat and give him a little extra thinking time.

'Yeah, but your Dad's fine. He isn't off his head like my Mum. He's not completely fucking impossible to live with, like she is.'

'He has his moments. We still don't exactly see eye to eye on most things. It's not all sweetness and light at home for me either.'

'I know but at least you don't have to listen to all that shit on your own. Karen's there as well to take her share Me, I'm all alone there with Mum and I get the whole fucking works thrown at me, day after day. It's driving me insane. I know if I stay there any longer, well…..I might do something I'll regret one day, you know?'

'Like what?' Freddie couldn't imagine what Effy might have been hinting at but her quiet conviction and calm demeanour was making him feel very worried. He would have been less concerned if Effy had been ranting and raving, losing control of her emotions. He could have dismissed that as merely the normal emotional outburst of a young girl who was going through a rough patch with her family. But Effy didn't do big, emotional, hormonal scenes. She was far too composed and controlled for that.

'Where the hell would you go?' he asked, wondering if she had really thought this vague notion through at all.

'I don't know. Anywhere, I guess. I suppose I could go and stay with my Dad.'

Freddie was surprised at this suggestion which he felt came right out of left field. 'I thought you used to get on with him worse than your Mum?'

'I did. But at least _he _didn't shag his boss's wife. He'd take me in, I know. It's an option. I haven't decided yet where I might go. I might fuck off out of Bristol completely.'

Freddie fell silent, mulling over the startling thought processes that Effy had come out with. This was not how he had envisaged their Valentine's Day turning out. He had hoped it would be a day that could draw them closer together, not threaten to push them miles apart.

* * *

**Time: 13.30.49**

Emily sighed with irritation once more as yet another attempt to speak to Katie had been frustrated. Clearly her sister was not in the mood for accepting any calls, unless of course she was only keen on not speaking to her twin. And if that was the case, why might that be? Could Naomi be right? Might it have been Katie's idea of a sick, twisted joke to send Naomi that Valentine's card? She threw her mobile down on to the blanket in annoyance_. 'Damn Katie!_' she thought.

'No joy?' asked Naomi, noticing Emily's reaction. 'Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I mean, she's not the sharpest tool in the box, is she? It's a bit obvious to try to avoid talking to you if she _did_ send that card.'

'I'll just have to keep trying. She can't avoid me all day, can she?' Emily tried to put all suspicious thoughts of Katie out of her mind by helping Naomi clear up the remains of their lovers' picnic. There was still a small piece of chocolate cake left over and Emily divided it roughly in two, devoured her half in seconds and proceeded to force feed the other half to Naomi who pretended to resist but soon gave way, giggling and laughing, to Emily's persistent attentions. Emily offered a chocolate- smeared middle finger to the blonde who smiled broadly, took the proffered finger in her mouth and slowly, noisily and sexily sucked and licked the chocolate off a giggling and squealing Emily.

'You're a filthy girl, Em' said Naomi, 'forcing me to do disgusting things like that.'

'Who's forcing you? I've hardly had to twist your arm, have I, Miss Self-Righteous? Are you quite sure you don't want to start screaming 'rape'?'

Naomi's mouth flew open in mock outrage at Emily's sly dig and she pounced on the redhead and began tickling her mercilessly. Emily reacted instinctively by squealing and screaming, begging for forgiveness as Naomi exacted a terrible revenge for Emily's slur on her upright character and moral fibre.

After a few more moments of affectionate horseplay the two girls resumed their clearing up operation and soon they were ready to depart their favourite love nest.

'What next, chief?' Naomi looked at Emily for instructions as to the next item on their Valentine's Day agenda which Emily had told Naomi she was taking full responsibility for.

'Well, I thought we might pop round to see JJ. He told me he would probably be spending the day on his own at home as he doesn't have a girlfriend to be with. I thought we could cheer him up by calling on him and playing a few games.'

Naomi pulled a face at Emily and puffed out her cheeks as they mounted their bikes. 'Do you really think the two of us going round to see him is going to cheer him up?'

'Well, it's worth a try, Naomi. I can't bear the thought of him stuck at home all alone feeling miserable because he hasn't got a girl to spend Valentine's Day with.'

* * *

**Time: 13.42.18**

'So, let me see if I've got this right, um….Thomas,' said Mrs Moon, looking at the two expectant faces staring at her nervously from the other side of the living room. 'You're saying that you will volunteer to help Pandora catch up with her English coursework and improve her marks, starting here this afternoon. In return you're asking that I agree that you can take Pandora out two nights a week and that you guarantee that she will be back home by twelve o'clock and will not drink any alcohol while she is out with you. Is that it?'

'Yes, Mrs Moon,' said Thomas, that's correct. I totally understand your concerns about Pandora's studies and I 'm sorry if her marks have disappointed you recently. I really like Pandora and I want to be with her as much as possible but I appreciate her studies must come first.'

'Please, Mum,' pleaded a sad-looking Pandora. 'Thomas is super brilliant at English; he really understands what this Shakespeare guy's on about. I just don't get HIM at all but Thomas will explain it all to me and that everything will be hunky dory.' She beamed from ear to ear in a desperate attempt to convince her mother of the wisdom of this ingenious proposal that Thomas had come up with.

'Well, I must say, Thomas, it's extremely considerate and kind of you to take such an interest in Pandora's schoolwork but I have to say I'm very nervous about allowing you to …….. well, form a close friendship with her. She's a very innocent young girl who's had no exposure to the wicked things that so many boys are capable of.'

Thomas and Pandora exchanged silent glances during which both made a concerted effort to keep a straight face and not ruin the illusion that Mrs Moon was labouring under by sniggering or bursting out laughing.

'But Thomas isn't like Cook at all, Mum. He doesn't drink or take drugs or get into fights. If we start right now, Mum, you can sit in to see how completely ace Thomas is at speaking Shakespeare. Honestly, you'd almost think he was the teacher himself.'

'Who is this Cook, Pandora? He sounds a very, very bad, wicked boy indeed. I hope you haven't been mixing with him at all! I don't want you to go anywhere near him, do you hear me?!'

'Oh, no, Mum. I keep well away from him. I don't have anything more to do with him.'

Fortunately Mrs Moon missed the unintentional yet subtle nuance of Pandora's last ill-judged remark and seemed relieved and reassured by her daughter's protestations.

'Very well, Pandora. I will agree to let Thomas stay here this afternoon and help you with your English coursework. You can work here in the living room but I shall be coming in regularly to make sure you are working hard and listening carefully to what Thomas is teaching you.'

'Wicked!! Thanks, Mum! We'll be on it right now!'

Thomas gave a huge smile of relief and held out his hand to Mrs Moon in gratitude. 'Thank you so much, Mrs Moon. I promise I will do everything in my power to help Pandora be a first class English student.'

Mrs Moon was touched and impressed by Thomas's extremely polite manners and warmly, if a little formally, shook his hand to strike the deal. 'Maybe you could also help by getting Pandora to talk proper English, too. I don't understand half the expressions she comes out with,' said Mrs Moon, shaking her head in bewilderment.

* * *

**Time: 13.55.37**

Cook was standing at the bar knocking back his fourth pint of lager, surrounded by the same group of girls whom he had picked up earlier in the morning and whom he was now busy entertaining with his customary sparkling wit and repartee when he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. He swung round to find himself face to face with a young girl, probably no more than sixteen, with long blond hair, a pretty face with a fair complexion and a mouth set firm in a look of defiance and determination.

'I was told I'd find you here. They weren't wrong,' said the girl who was staring at Cook and all the other girls who were equally staring back at her with obvious anger and contempt for daring to infiltrate their circle of worship without an invitation.

'Hello, babe,' smiled Cook in relaxed fashion. 'And who might you be? I'm afraid you'll have to get to the back of the queue. I've got my hands full at the moment, as you can see.'

'Oh, I don't need to join the queue, Cook. I'm already way ahead of that lot. You don't remember me, do you?'

Cook stared closely at the young girl, shook his head slowly, then his mouth opened as if something had been jogged in his private memory bank of fleeting assignations and passing acquaintances.

'Actually, you do look vaguely familiar, now I come to think of it. Where have I seen you before?'

'At my big sister's party, a couple of months back. The night when you got me completely plastered and shagged me out on the patio at the end of the evening when virtually everyone else had crashed out. Ring any bells now?'

Cook's harem of girls drew in a sharp, audible, collective breath and murmurings could be heard to break out amongst the shocked audience. Cook looked at her without any hint of embarrassment or resentment for her having brought up such an indelicate matter in front of his newly acquired fan club.

'Yeah, I do remember now. So what's brought you here, love? I didn't promise to marry you, the next morning, did I?' Cook laughed heartily at his own witticism and was immediately backed up by the harem who openly giggled and mocked the poor unfortunate who, in their eyes, was getting the kind of brush-off that a little upstart like her deserved.

'No, you didn't, that's true. But unless you come up with the money for an abortion, you might have to explain to my Dad why you're not going to marry the mother of your child.'

Cook's face appeared to be frozen in time, his mouth fell open so wide you could have driven a double-decker bus through it and a deathly hush fell upon everyone who was in earshot of this last dramatic remark.

'You what?' he said in a voice which came across as barely more than a croak.

'I'm pregnant, Cook,' said the young girl, forcing out a far from warm and genuine smile at him, 'and the bad news for you is that _you're_ the father.'

* * *

**AUTHOR'S MESSAGE**

I would like to say a huge thanks to all those of you who posted a review after the last chapter. Your comments were much appreciated and in some cases very enlightening. I have definitely taken on board one or two things that were said about how you hoped things would turn out in the story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I would love to hear from some more of you with your thoughts and opinions on what you think about this story!

.


	5. Chapter 5 : 1400 1600

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

Previously on '**Skins 24 – Valentine's Day'**: Katie turns on the tears to persuade JJ to be her date for the Valentine's Day club night that evening. Emily is frustrated in her attempts to confront Katie about Naomi's second Valentine's card. Effy confesses to Freddie that she is thinking of leaving home before her Mum drives her insane. Thomas and Panda propose an idea to Mrs Moon which would allow them to carry on seeing each other. A young girl confronts Cook in the pub and tells him that she is pregnant with his child.

* * *

**Time: 14.08.01**

Emily and Naomi got off their bikes as they arrived outside JJ's house, pushed them along the garden path and leaned them carefully up against the porch, after which Emily rang the bell.

'What if he's not in?' asked Naomi, still far from convinced this was such a great idea of Emily's. It wasn't that she didn't get on with JJ: she did, despite the fact that she found more than a little odd and hard work at times, although she would freely admit he could often be very sweet and thoughtful. Nor was it really anything to do with Emily's one night charity stand with him – she was well over that and, in any case, she had totally accepted Emily's rational explanation for her actions that night.

No, her reservations about the two of them calling to see JJ that afternoon centred largely on her concerns that Emily might be dragged down into JJ's likely melancholy and depression about being all on his own on Valentine's Day. They'd enjoyed such a brilliant day so far, due in no small measure to Emily's imagination and consummate organisational skills which she had to admit had put her to shame. It had felt more like a succession of birthday treats she had been on the receiving end of since she had woken up that morning, not a fair exchange of presents and tokens of mutual love and affection.

Naomi didn't want their joyous, upbeat mood to be jeopardised by spending any length of time with someone who was more than likely to be feeling down, irritable and lonely. She was afraid some of that might rub off on Emily and besides, this day was supposed to be about the two of them together, not necessarily them AND their friends – or at least not until much later when they were all due to meet up at the club.

'He'll be in, I know he will. He'll be so pleased to see us, Naomi. There you are, he's coming to the door now,' said the redhead as a warm smile begun to light up her face at the sound of footsteps approaching the front door from the hallway. But it would be fair to say that Emily's cheery expression lasted no more than a few seconds – in fact just long enough for the door to be opened and the figure of Katie to appear in the doorway where Emily had expected to be met by JJ.

'Katie? What the fuck are you doing here?' As sisterly greetings go, it wasn't the warmest by any stretch of the imagination and Naomi's heart sunk as she stared at Katie with a blank expression. Instinctively she moved alongside her girlfriend, as if it was necessary to demonstrate right from the start that Katie was going to have deal with the pair of them, not just her younger sister if there were to be any arguments.

'Why shouldn't I be here? JJ's not just _your _friend, you know!'

'I know he isn't but since when was he yours?' Emily couldn't stop herself from going on all out attack with Katie, all the more so since her good friend JJ appeared to have become the main battleground between the two of them. She had already prepared herself mentally to have words with Katie on the subject of the Valentine's card and yet here she was fighting over ownership of JJ's platonic affections.

'Since he agreed to take me to the club tonight and be my Valentine for the day, that's when, if you must know.' Katie couldn't suppress a gloating smile of triumph, noting with considerable glee Emily's crestfallen face on hearing the news which clearly came as a massive surprise to her.

'What? Why would he do that? You're not interested in JJ, you never have been! What fucking sick game are you playing with him, Katie? I'm not going to stand for it!'

'Oh, hi, Emily. I thought I recognised your voice. Hi, Naomi. What are you two doing here?'

JJ appeared in the doorway alongside Katie and smiled sweetly at the two girls who smiled back at him, both hoping fervently that he hadn't overheard the heated exchanges between the sisters just then.

'Hi, JJ. We thought we'd pop round to see you this afternoon, you know, chill out with you and…..I don't know…..have some fun, play some games or something. I don't know, we….well, we haven't really thought it through. We just wanted to call on you, that's all.'

'Oh. That's nice.' JJ flashed a completely genuine and innocent smile at Emily and seemed totally oblivious of the uneasy atmosphere between the three girls which was positively stinking the doorstep out.

'But….if you're already busy doing something with Katie we can always call back later.' Naomi decided to try to take the sting out of the atmosphere by making a huge effort to be sensible and reasonable about the situation.

'Um……well, I don't know…….um, have we finished, Katie.' JJ looked flustered and tongue tied and turned an uncertain face towards Katie for guidance on the question of whether they still had some unfinished business to complete.

'It's okay, JJ. I think we've finished what we were doing, don't you reckon? You can remember what we agreed on, don't you?' Katie made as if to go, after kissing JJ softly on the cheek, which made JJ giggle nervously and shoot a quick glance across at Emily who appeared anything but overjoyed at Katie's cheeky, yet innocent peck.

'Hang on a minute,' said Emily firmly. She wasn't going to stand aside and let her sister off the hook that easily. This was getting beyond a joke, she fumed. 'Let's all go inside, shall we, if that's alright with you, JJ? We've got some things to sort out, you and me so we need to talk RIGHT NOW!'

* * *

**Time: 14.26.28**

Effy and Freddie walked back to Freddie's house after leaving the pub, if not in complete silence then at least each displaying a certain lack of concentration on the exchanges of conversation. Both of them seemed rather distracted, as if their minds were firmly fixed on other matters which remained for the moment unspoken.

On arriving home, they automatically went round the back of the house to Freddie's shed which had now become a virtual second bedroom to him as well as the couple's favourite private place to hang out together, have fun and, more often than not, make love. Not that a spot of romance was particularly uppermost in Freddie's mind as soon as they walked through the door and shut it firmly behind them. He was starving hungry and they had bought themselves a huge pizza on the way over to eat when they got back.

They made themselves as comfortable as it was humanly possible to be on a lumpy, misshapen, old sofa and started tucking in to their twelve inch Meat Feast with extra garlic sausage which Effy had insisted on choosing. As she gave the order to the shy young lad at the pizza parlour (Have you got a 12 inch Meat Feast?), she had made a point of staring at him with a wickedly suggestive grin on her face and extravagantly licking her lips at the same time, thus reducing the poor young lad to a quivering, gibbering bag of red faced nerves by the end of her virtuoso performance which had Freddie in fits of hysterical giggles. .

It was at times like those that Freddie knew how lucky he was to be going out with a girl like Effy. Where else would he find a girl who had such style, wit, imagination and a wicked sense of humour, all wrapped up in bows and yet for most of the time concealed from the rest of the world by an impenetrable wall of mystery and secrecy.

He was feeding Effy pieces of the pizza which he tore off with his hands, teasing her from time to time by pretending to put them into her mouth only to withdraw his hand at the last second, leaving her sitting with her mouth wide open but empty. This amused him no end for a while until Effy decided enough was enough and started punching him on the arm to make him stop pissing about. She was hungry, too.

'What was all that row with Cook about over by the bar? Did you catch any of it?' Freddie looked at Effy for an answer but she shook her head

'No idea. We were too far away to catch what they were saying. Whoever that girl was, though, you could see she was seriously pissed off with him. Did you recognise her?'

Freddie considered the question briefly before replying. 'I'm sure I've seen her somewhere before but I can't think where. Probably just another one of Cook's conquests who's mad with him for not getting in touch with her. The usual shit, you know.'

'One of these days he's really gonna crash and burn.'

Freddie nodded and in between wolfing down huge mouthfuls of pizza he muttered with a heavy sense of foreboding 'Yeah…… and he'll expect me to come and get him out of the mess he's in……like I usually do.'

Effy narrowed her eyes as she stared at Freddie and slowly shook her head in something approaching controlled disbelief. 'Why the fuck do you always get him out of trouble, Freddie? He's never going to change if he knows you'll always be there to pick up the pieces. It'll do him good if he has to dig _himself _out of the shit for once.'

'I know, Ef. But……..what if he can't? Then what?'

The brunette smiled as she quietly and not without a certain coolness and sexiness sucked her fingers to remove all the remains of the pizza. 'He burns,' she stated quite simply. 'Not your problem. Or are you deliberately trying to avoid leading your own life?'

'No! Well……not completely, but……..' He broke off suddenly, paused to think for a moment before gazing deep into Effy's hypnotic, spellbinding eyes and asking her tentatively, 'Is that what you were on about in the pub? Leaving home so you can lead your own life?'

'Perhaps. I'm not good around people who've got problems. I usually tend to make things worse.'

'If you did decide to take off somewhere……….' said Freddie, taking a deep breath as he steeled himself against the prospect of getting the answer he didn't want to hear, 'would you take me with you?'

Effy's mouth dropped open and she let out a slight gasp to indicate that was the last thing she was expecting him to say. _Shit! He does have some balls after all,_ she thought. That had always been her biggest reservation about Freddie being her bloke She knew he would be kind and sweet to her, he would be fun to be with – that much was a given.

But sadly he would also be reliable, dependable and above all SAFE. So fucking safe in fact that she seriously doubted that he could stay the distance with her for long enough before she tired of so much caution and security. She had always felt stifled by the mediocrity of her everyday life and constantly craved the element of risk and danger to make her feel truly alive. So this unexpected question startled her and temporarily threw her off her stride, requiring her to give as double take to ensure she had heard him right

'Do you really mean that? Because you had better be damn sure of yourself, Freddie. If I do decide to go I won't be looking to carry any passengers with me, you know. You won't be able to come home for tea and comfort every time the going gets a bit rough.'

Freddie nodded silently. He had got the picture. Effy was a true free spirit, someone who was happy to go with the flow, who wanted the wind to carry her off somewhere different just to see what might happen when she got there. Could he live like that? He kind of knew deep down that if he wanted to be with her for good he would have to accept her the way she was and change his life to fit in with hers. She certainly wasn't going to change the way she was to suit him. The question was: how much did he want her?

* * *

**Time: 14.52.32**

The wind was whistling around Cook's ears and had already forced him to zip up his coat right to his neck as he sat on the bench, smoking furiously and puffing the smoke high into the cool, mid-afternoon air above him. There was a fair amount of human activity and routine hustle and bustle going on around him but he seemed completely oblivious to all of it. He was deep in thought which in itself was a novel experience for him and not one to which he was naturally suited.

The same words kept racing through his mind over and over again as if he was trying to impart a different meaning to them each time, hoping that he might somehow have misunderstood the message that they appeared to convey. Perhaps he hadn't fully appreciated the subtle nuances of what the girl was saying. But how the fuck can you misinterpret 'I'm pregnant, Cook, and the bad news for you is that _you're_ the father.'?

His initial reaction had been entirely predictable and almost unrepeatable – except that you wouldn't forgive me if I declined to reveal it for reasons of modesty and decency. 'FUCK OFF!' he had said, bursting out laughing. 'What fucking arsehole's put you up to this? Jog on, you little tart. I'm not going down for that!'

'It's your baby, Cook and you'd better start taking your responsibilities seriously, or else. Trust me, you don't want my Dad to get involved. If you don't do the right thing, he'll fucking kill you. Actually, if he finds out, he'll probably kill you first anyway and then ask you if you intend to do the right thing.'

Those words had cut short Cook's laughter rather sharply and reduced him briefly to silence. He stared at the determined, defiant girl, whom he now belatedly recognised as the younger sister whom he had shagged at the end of the party when everyone else had either departed or had slipped into drunken unconsciousness.

He had challenged her accusation; of course he had, just as you would expect him to have done. He bit his lip and stared off into the distance as he recalled his harsh words to her which, looking back now, didn't make him feel particularly proud, even if he had shepherded her away from the crowd of shocked onlookers and taken her outside for a private chat.

'Even if you _are _pregnant……' but he was rudely cut off before he could even get into his stride. 'I AM fucking pregnant, you tosser! Would you like to see the pregnancy test kit result? Maybe you'll believe that if you don't believe me?'

'Okay, okay, let's assume you are pregnant, then. What makes you think it's mine? It could be any one of the poor bastards whom you've shagged in the last few months.'

'No, it couldn't. It's yours, Cook, and that's an indisputable fact. I know it's yours because that night at my sister's party, you weren't only my first man, you were also my last! It can't be anyone else's because you're the only guy I've slept with. So, unless you've found God since then and now believe in the Immaculate Conception, this baby is down to you and no-one else.'

Cook puffed out his cheeks as he took another long drag on his cigarette and threw the butt on the ground before automatically reaching for his cigarette packet again. There hadn't been many occasions in his life when he had been rendered speechless but this was right up with the best of them.

'So, what do you want from me, then?' he had asked in the quietest tones that he had managed since she had walked onto the pub and accosted him. The relative calmness of his voice and the absence of any of the aggressive reactions she had witnessed before produced in turn a more measured response from the girl. Gone were any of the abuse and angry recriminations that she had sought to defend her position from Cook's instinctive attack on her morals.

'Like I said, you just give me the money for the abortion and then the problem's sorted. We can both walk away from this mess and get on with our lives again.'

Cook stared at her, mouth wide open and shook his head vehemently. 'Hang on, you want an abortion? But……….wait a minute! What about what **I **want? Don't **I** have a fucking say in this?'

The girl looked at Cook and laughed, not provocatively right in his face but laugh she definitely did.' I'm not asking you to make an emotional contribution to this pregnancy, Cook, just a financial one. Stump up the cash and I'll get rid of it. After all, we can hardly say it was planned, can we?'

'You can't do that!' Cook's voice had risen several octaves now and his naturally aggressive personality had returned, as it so often did whenever he felt his authority and supremacy were being severely challenged.

'I can do what I like, Cook! It's MY body. This decision isn't yours to make, you know. All I need from you is a proper recognition of your responsibilities.'

'But……' Cook was having difficulty in getting the words out but eventually he found his voice again and delivered the statement that he would never have imagined hearing himself saying in a million years. 'It's MY baby, too!!'

At the memory of those last words he had said to her before he stormed off, leaving her shouting further abuse at his back, Cook's eyes started filling up with tears and he began to breathe very heavily, clenching his fists and then punching the bench as hard as he could. 'It's _my_ fucking baby too, you bitch!' he shouted out into the cool air.

* * *

**Time: 15.18.49**

Freddie and Effy had just started ripping each other's clothes off and were already rolling around on the sofa, each vying for the dominant position amid much giggling and sniggering, when Freddie's mobile rang. They stopped their primitive grunting and grinding momentarily and Freddie reached out a hand to dig out the phone form his trouser pocket where he was in the habit of stuffing it. He quickly checked to see who was calling him at such an inopportune moment and tutted and sighed with mild annoyance when he saw that it was Cook.

'Who is it?' asked Effy, propping herself up on one elbow and rubbing Freddie's groin with her foot in an attempt to make him laugh or persuade him to put the phone down, or even both.

'Cook. Who else would phone at a time like this? He has this uncanny knack of always seeming to know exactly when you're trying to enjoy yourself without him. It's as if he can't bear to be left out of anything.'

'I hope you're not suggesting we invite him round to join us in a threesome, Freddie,' said Effy with a wickedly capricious smile and an intense gaze . It was an interesting concept and one that maybe a year or so ago she might have gone for. But not now, not any more.

'He'd love that,' said Freddie impassively, still looking at his phone, as if not yet decided on whether to take the call or not.

'Freddie! Leave the call and come back here before that hard on of yours disappears. Unless of course you'd rather I started without you? If it's that important, he'll phone back later. It's probably nothing, though.'

Freddie stuffed the phone back in his trouser pocket and came back to Effy who put her hands around his neck and kissed him passionately and deeply. 'Now, are you going to give me a really good Valentine's fuck before I go home for tea?

* * *

**Time: 15.35.17**

'I don't believe you, Katie!' cried an emotionally charged Emily while a frightened JJ coughed and twisted his fingers nervously. He hated scenes and this was building up to the mother of all sisterly confrontations to compare with the one at the Summer Ball last year. Naomi turned an equally accusing face on Katie but put a comforting hand on Emily's arm to try to get her to calm down and not get herself all worked up over what she still saw as nothing.

'Well, I didn't send Naomi that fucking card! Why should I? I don't care what you two get up to any more.' Katie's eyes were blazing and she was prepared to give as good as she got from Emily on this issue.

'Well, if you didn't, who else could it have been? It was obviously someone who wanted to break us up, who wanted to make me jealous.'

'Have you even considered the possibility that Naomi may have a secret admirer, Em? How do you know it wasn't sent by someone else who fancies her? Though God knows who that could be. She's doesn't exactly go out of her way to be popular.'

'If you've got anything to say to me, you can say it to me directly, Katie. I am here you know! I don't believe you either. You've never liked me and you've always hated the fact that me and Ems are together, haven't you? Don't even bother denying it.'

'In the beginning, yes, I admit I was embarrassed and disgusted by the two of you. But not any more. I just don't care now. You can both fuck each other's brains out here on the carpet for all I care. Just leave me out of it, that's all.'

JJ shot an anxious glance at Emily and Naomi and looked down at the carpet as if he was trying to size up whether there was really enough room and whether it was comfortable enough for the two girls to be making out on it. He coughed nervously again and thought about trying to calm everyone down.

'More tea and cakes, guys?' he asked, forcing out an insincere smile which he always was reduced to doing in moments of stress and tension.

'No thanks, JJ. I really should be going. I've got to get ready for tonight. Besides, I don't think we've anything more to say, have we? If these two want to carry on deluding themselves that I sent the card, then that's their problem. I didn't and that's an end to it.'

'Please, Katie. Help me! This is doing my head in. Who could have sent it, then? Have you not got any ideas?'

All of a sudden a thought popped into Katie's mind, the vague memory of a question that had been put to her earlier in the day that had seemed very strange at the time but about which she had given no further thought since. She remembered her mother showing an unusual interest in whether she was going to be seeing Emily later on that day. She also recalled her mother being very vague and off hand when asked why she wanted to know. Could it have been her?

Just the thought of this possibility made Katie gasp slightly and that was all Emily needed to seize upon and explore with relish and persistence. 'What? What have you thought of? Tell me, Katie, please. Help put me out of my misery. I can't relax for the rest of the day unless I know. Whether it was all a joke or it was for real, I can't do anything about it unless I know.'

Katie would have said nothing about her mother's strange probing that morning if it hadn't been for what she saw as Emily's wholly unreasonable attitude and stance on her asking JJ to take her to the club that evening. They had exchanged harsh words about it on the doorstep and Katie was still smarting from Emily's condemnation of her motives. Of course, Emily was spot on in her analysis and that was what had angered Katie more than anything. Emily could still read her like a book and she didn't like that.

'Well, I expect it's nothing. But this morning……….' Her voice tailed off as she hesitated, unsure if she should spill the beans or not. The last thing she wanted was to create more drama in their family but on the other hand, she thought, if it was Mum who sent the card then that was a pretty low blow, a dirty trick and Emily had a right to know and have it out with Mum, surely?

'What happened this morning?' Naomi and JJ looked on with a shared feeling of utter helplessness as the two sisters seemed oblivious to their presence, squaring up to each other with no awareness of anyone or anything else in the room.

'Well, Mum asked me if I would be seeing you today. I thought it was odd because she hasn't mentioned you for ages. When I asked her why, she didn't answer and changed the subject.

'I knew it was her!' exclaimed Naomi triumphantly. If it wasn't Katie, then I knew it had to be her! I should have suspected her from the start. She's always hated me. She's always tried to get me to stay away from you.'

Emily looked back at Naomi who was nodding at her in agreement with her own argument and then she turned to face her twin again. 'Do you think it was Mum? Could she have really done something like that to us?'

Katie shrugged her shoulders indifferently and said 'I don't know for sure. But Naomi's right about one thing – Mum's never liked her. She still calls her 'that girl'. She never refers to her by name.'

Emily got up and picked up her coat from the chair next to her. 'Come on, Naomi. I've got to go and see Mum about this right now. I want her to tell me the truth.'

Naomi shot an anxious glance at her girlfriend. She hadn't seen her so wound up, determined and hell-bent on something for a long time. She wasn't sure this was the right time to confront Mrs Fitch. Maybe it would be better once Emily had calmed down a bit, but when she voiced her reservations Emily dismissed them out of hand.

'No, Naomi. If she did send that card deliberately to cause a rift between us, I need to know. I have to know just where I stand with her. This is important to me. I don't want to put it off till later. I want the truth and I want it out in the open NOW!!

* * *

.


	6. Chapter 6: 1600 1800

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

Previously on '**Skins 24 – Valentine's Day'**: Emily and Katie have a big row at JJ's about the anonymous Valentine's card sent to Naomi. Katie suggests their Mum might have sent it and Emily is hell bent on confronting her Mum immediately. Freddie asks Effy if he could come with her if she does decide to leave Bristol. Cook spends time alone thinking about whether he wants his unborn child to be aborted.

* * *

**Time: 16.13.45**

Effy was hanging on to Freddie's shoulders with both hands as if her life depended on it as she felt her climax approaching ever closer with every rhythmic rise and fall of her slim frame on Freddie's throbbing manhood. Her fingers were digging into his skin and her long nails were making indentations and scratches which he would have to explain somehow or other if anyone saw them later.

She was breathing heavily, her eyes were intermittently tightly closed and then staring wide open as she lost herself in the powerful sensations that were rippling through the length of her body. Freddie, meanwhile, was leaning against the back of the sofa, happy to let Effy do the driving on this occasion and was feasting with both hands and mouth on her tits which were conveniently bobbing up and down right in his face.

The focus of their attention on each other and their shared intense pleasure was understandably all-consuming. Unsurprisingly, therefore, they completely failed to hear a minute or so later the cursory knock on the shed door which Cook gave before he entered without waiting to be either invited in or alternatively told in no uncertain terms to fuck off. He had barely closed the door behind him before being rooted to the spot at the sight of Effy letting out a prolonged, powerful series of intense groans at the top of her voice, swiftly followed by Freddie as the two of them came virtually at the same time.

It was hard to say at precisely what point Freddie and Effy became aware that there was someone standing in the shed watching them with a strange combination of fascination and unease as they screamed, shouted and moaned in ecstatic sexual gratification. But certainly there was no need for Cook to politely cough to indicate his presence in the shed. Freddie was the first to catch sight of Cook as Effy had her back to him but she was the first to pick up the sound of him shuffling uncertainly from one foot to the other as he debated what to say.

'FUCK!' said Freddie, unimaginatively but appositely as he stared in disbelief at his mate who stood a few feet away from him with a slightly guilty look on his face.

'SHIT!' said Effy, just to be different, after she had turned her head to the side and seen Cook, whereupon she instinctively, though rather unnecessarily, reached for something to cover herself up with. Cook had seen all of Effy's physical charms long before Freddie had ever had the pleasure and retained a perfectly unsullied image of them which covering them up was never going to block out of his mind.

'What the **fuck** are you doing here?!' said Freddie, scrambling to find something to hand to cover up his modesty (although why he would want to be particularly modest about the size of his erection is a mystery). 'Don't you EVER knock?'

'You're a fucking pervert, Cook,' said Effy, scowling and glaring at him for all she was worth whilst frantically putting on a t-shirt and pulling up a blanket to cover the lower half of her body.

'I _did_ knock. You obviously didn't hear me. Understandably. I'm really sorry.'

'Well, we're a bit busy, you know,' said Freddie, his mouth tightly set but keeping his anger under check as he believed Cook when his mate said that he had knocked.

'What did you want?'

'I did try to speak to you earlier but when you didn't answer I thought I'd pop round to see you.'

'Well, now you've seen us, you can _pop off_, can't you?' Effy was not as forgiving as Freddie and was seriously pissed off with Cook having walked in on them at such an inopportune moment. Maybe if Cook hadn't been an ex-lover, however fleeting, she wouldn't have felt anywhere near as uncomfortable as she did right then,

Cook looked very pensive and uncertain, so much so that Freddie was quick to notice his unusually sombre and apologetic mood which was quite out of character. On any other occasion Cook wouldn't have been able to stop himself making some sly, cutting, dirty joke about catching him and Effy in the act. He seemed almost embarrassed, in fact, and that was so unlike Cook.

'What is it, mate? You seem worried? What's up?' Freddie had now managed to put his trousers on and so got up off the sofa, leaving a still far from appeased Effy to slowly put some more clothes on, and came over to Cook who was still standing rooted to the spot, as if unable to bring himself to move off it.

Cook was desperate to confide in Freddie, to tell him the extraordinary events of the last hour or so. But he couldn't bring himself to do so in front of Effy. He knew she would give him a hard time about it, would probably be utterly scathing and contemptuous in her condemnation of his behaviour and reaction to the shocking news and that was a humiliating prospect that he couldn't bear to face right then.

'It's nothing. I'll tell you another time, maybe. I can see you're busy and I'm sorry I disturbed you. I didn't mean to. I'll catch up with you later.'

'Cook! Is it something to do with that girl in the pub?' Effy asked with genuine curiosity, her anger and irritation having rather subsided from its initial high point of a few moments ago.

'No! Why should it?' said a startled and overly defensive Cook with rather too much vehemence than was necessary to convince to someone as clever and perceptive up as Effy. 'I've got to go. I'll see you later on.' With that Cook made his exit, almost as swiftly and as quietly as he had made his entrance, leaving behind a bewildered and concerned Freddie and Effy to make of that little scene what they could

* * *

**Time: 16.25.23**

By the time they arrived at the Fitch family home, Naomi had given up on trying to calm Emily down. The redhead was about as wound up and determined as she had ever seen her and would not be swayed from her mission to confront her mother about the second Valentine's card. In her heart of hearts Naomi felt that Mrs Fitch was certainly capable of such a clever yet cruel piece of deception and deserved to be taken to task for it if she came clean and admitted it.

But Naomi also couldn't help but worry about the consequences of this face to face confrontation that her girlfriend was so set on having out with her mother. They were still Emily's family and there were bound to be times when she would need them. Was it worth the risk of falling out with her Mum and dividing the whole family over a cheap shot trick which ultimately hadn't worked? She wasn't convinced but she would back Emily up nonetheless – after all, Mrs Fitch's dismissive and intimidating attitude towards her last year still rankled with her and was fresh in her memory.

Emily turned her key in the lock and opened the front door, immediately storming into the house, followed by a nervous and anxious Naomi. The blonde had argued unsuccessfully on the bike ride over that she should wait outside and not inflame tempers even more by coming into the house from which Mrs Fitch had effectively barred her indefinitely. Emily wouldn't hear of it, though – she wanted to make a statement and to do so she needed Naomi by her side during the war of words.

Naomi closed the door behind her and hurried to catch up with Emily who had made straight for the kitchen where she could hear the sound of voices talking. .Emily burst into the kitchen where she found her Mum and Dad sitting at the table having a cup of tea and some toasted crumpets. James was obviously upstairs in his room or out and they had clearly beaten Katie back home as she was only walking.

'Mum! I've got a very simple question to ask you and I want a straight answer.'

Clearly Emily had decided against the 'softly, softly' approach in favour of an all guns blazing, full on, in your face policy. Upon Emily's dramatic entrance her Mum and Dad looked up startled and Mrs Fitch was opening her mouth to greet her daughter and enquire what the matter was when Naomi appeared at Emily's shoulder. Mrs Fitch's expression of cheerful concern was transformed instantly into one of barely controlled fury at the sight of Naomi setting foot into her house after she had sent off with a flea in her ear the last time she came round albeit a long time ago.

'Why have you brought that girl into this house, Emily?' Jenna Fitch likewise seemed to have eschewed the diplomatic option, preferring to go for the jugular right from the start. It promised to be a titanic contest from which the winner would inevitably be bloodied and probably bowed.

'Her name's Naomi, Mum, not 'that girl'! If she was a boy called Mark, would you call him 'that boy'?'

Jenna let that pointed comment ride and fixed her eyes on Emily, avoiding even looking at Naomi who was hanging back behind Emily, not wishing to push herself forward in the argument but keen to show her support for her girlfriend if required.

'I don't want her in the house, Emily. I'm sorry, but that's just the way I feel.'

'Oh, don't worry. She's not going to be here long, neither of us will. Just answer this one question truthfully. Did you send Naomi an anonymous Valentine's card to make me jealous and try to break us up?'

Jenna's mouth flew open and she stared at her daughter nervously but no words came out. She looked across anxiously at her husband, possibly for some support, but all he did was close his eyes and shake his head silently, muttering something unintelligible under his breath.

'I knew it!' cried Emily with a note of triumphant glee in her voice. 'You just can't look me in the eye and deny it, can you?'

Jenna turned to her husband and made it abundantly clear that she needed him to help her out in the face of this concerted attack. 'Rob! You tell her, please!'

A glazed expression broke out over Rob's face and he put his hands up , in a defensive manner, as if to protect himself.

'Hey, I'm staying out of this. This is strictly between you girls. There's no point me getting involved. You sort out it between you.'

'Rob!' exclaimed Jenna, hugely disappointed and dismayed at the lack of support forthcoming from her husband on whom she had thought she could rely to back her up.

'You're dead right, Dad. This is strictly girls' business. It's only Mum who has a problem with me being gay and going out with Naomi. You've always been pretty cool with it. It's Mum who thinks I'm a freak.'

Jenna got up and made as if to move towards Emily to appease her but Emily backed away at the sight of her Mum bearing down on her. 'Emily, we just want what's right for you……….' but before she could finish her sentence Emily had angrily cut across her, her voice shaking with emotion as she spoke.

'No, Mum! You want what's right for YOU. None of this is about me and what I want. It's all about you and how you want to appear to the neighbours, all your friends, the people you work with. Well, you don't have to worry about doing the right thing any more. In fact, you won't have to worry about me at all. Come on, Naomi.'

With those words delivered so passionately and fiercely, Emily turned on her heels and strode out of the kitchen, closely followed by a silent and worried Naomi. The tall blonde had watched this battle of Amazonian wills with increasing concern and yet also with huge pride and admiration at the way her lover had stood up to her mother and refused to bow to her attempts to break her spirit. She had no idea what she was going to do next but she was with her every step of the way. Emily marched up the stairs with determined purpose, head down low as she sought to fight back the tears that she had struggled so valiantly to keep at bay during that emotional scene.

* * *

**Time: 16.43.56**

Whenever JJ got upset or felt stressed out and confused, he always sought solace in some of his favourite comfort foods and this afternoon was no exception. He had just wolfed down a large bowlful of Cocoa Krispies and was now tucking into some Marmite soldiers, which he was washing down with an extra large hot chocolate drink which his Mum had made for him when she got in.

The scene between Katie and Emily had disturbed him a lot and he was still shaking a little at the memory of it. He hated it when girls argued – why did it always seem worse than when boys argued, he wondered – and especially when one of his dearest friends was involved. He still liked Emily so much, even though he knew nothing could ever happen between them again, because she was gay and in love with Naomi. But he hated seeing her unhappy and he could tell this business with the second Valentine's card to Naomi had really upset her.

Yet he couldn't believe Emily's own sister or mother could do such a horrible thing like that to her. Perhaps Naomi did have a secret admirer who was unaware of her relationship with Emily? That was the solution he wanted to believe in since that meant Emily wouldn't have any reason to fall out with her family. Perhaps Cook did it as a joke? That seemed even more likely to JJ – it was just the sort of daft, irresponsible thing that Cook would do, not thinking about the consequences of his actions which of course he would consider a harmless bit of fun.

'Are you alright, JJ?' asked his mother a little anxiously, seeing the troubled look on his face and the way he was staring off into the distance, deep in thought. She thought maybe one of his fits might be coming on.

'I'm fine, Mum,' JJ tried to smile reassuringly but obviously didn't quite succeed in putting his Mum's mind fully at rest as she continued questioning him.

'It's just that you look…..rather worried. Is anything wrong? You would tell me, wouldn't you?'

'Of course I would, Mum. No, it's just that…………well, relationships are really tricky, aren't they? I mean, how can you ever know people well enough to trust them?'

'Wow, JJ, that's a really difficult one to answer.' His Mum was silent for a while, considering how best to advise her son who had never asked for such serious advice on matters to do with girls before – at least, she assumed he was referring to girls.

'I guess you've got to go with your heart, JJ. You've got to….. put your trust in people until they've proved to you they can't be trusted again. At some point in life I think you have to believe in someone, even if no-one else does.'

'Right,' said JJ, nodding and smiling at his Mum. He found he started immediately thinking of Katie and her bizarre request that he be her Valentine for the evening and take her to the Valentine's Day Club Night which had him made him so suspicious and confused. He couldn't persuade himself that Katie actually fancied him, so what could be her motive for asking him to be her date for the evening? He had drawn a complete blank so far but perhaps he should stop deliberating and looking for an ulterior motive and just take it at face value and have a little faith in her, like Mum said.

As he sat at the table, drinking his milky hot chocolate and thinking about what the evening might have in store for him, his phone rang. He looked at the screen and his heart seemed to beat faster, the palms of his hands suddenly became sweaty and he could feel his throat instantly begin to dry up. It was Mary! He mumbled something incoherent to his Mum and hurried upstairs to his bedroom to take the call in private.

Taking a few deep breaths and telling himself to calm down, he picked up the call.

'Hi, Mary!!' he said and then instantly groaned inwardly, realising he must have sounded far too keen and excited than any normal, regular, cool dude would have allowed himself to be.

'Hi, JJ' said Mary, equally breathlessly, thrilled to hear how happy he sounded to have heard from her so soon. 'I just wanted to check you're still going to the club tonight like you said.'

'Um….yes, I am, only….well, it's a bit complicated now.'

'Oh. Why, what's happened?' asked Mary, trying to keep her disappointment out of her voice.

'Well, you know this friend, Katie, who I was on the phone to earlier?' JJ screwed his eyes shut and braced himself for Mary to get really upset at what he was going to tell her. 'Well, she hasn't got anyone to go with so she asked me if I would take her and…….'

'You said you would?'

'Yes,' said JJ forlornly, wishing the ground would swallow him up right then and anticipating a hostile reaction from Mary.

'Well, I think that's really nice of you, JJ. I wish I had a caring friend like that.'

'Oh. So you're not mad at me, then?'

'Of course not. I think it shows what an incredibly kind, considerate and loyal friend you are.'

JJ felt like shouting at the top of his voice and dancing around the room for joy. 'I mean, we can still see each other there, after all. Katie only wants me to be with her at the start. As soon as she meets some fit looking guy she won't need me hanging around her any more, I'm sure.'

'Well, I reckon my sister's boyfriend's mates will be going also. Perhaps we might be able to match her up with one or two of them and then we can spend the rest of the evening together. What do you think?'

JJ smiled and laughed girlishly down the phone. 'I think that's a wicked plan, Mary. I'm sure they'll all be queuing up to make out with her. Katie's really a very sweet girl, you know.'

* * *

**Time: 17.05.47**

'Emily! Open the fucking door, you stupid cow!!' Katie was hammering furiously on their bedroom door which Emily had insisted on locking while she was packing clothes, make-up and toiletries into her suitcase.

'I'm not coming out until I'm ready. I know you've got Mum waiting out there with you. I'm not opening the door until I'm ready to leave.'

'She's not here with me. She's still downstairs with Dad. They're having a flaming row about what you've just told them. What did you say? For fuck's sake, let me in. It's my bedroom as well, you selfish bitch!'

Katie pressed her ear to the door, although not giving up thumping on it as hard as she could, and could hear some indistinct murmurs and whispers. After about a minute she heard the key in the lock turning and the door opened just a fraction, but enough for Emily's face to be able to peer out and look at Katie and either side of her. Satisfied that her Mum or Dad weren't lying in wait to force an entry into their bedroom, Emily stood aside to let a fuming Katie into the room before closing the door and locking it again.

'What the fuck are you doing? What the hell is going on? I take it you spoke to Mum about the Valentine's card, then?'

'Yeah, it was her. She couldn't look me in the eye and admit it but she didn't deny it either.' Emily continued with her packing while Naomi quietly sat on the bed, watching her and occasionally helping her from time to time to fold clothes up and put them in the suitcase.

'So, you're leaving home, then? That's a great idea, Em . That's really smart thinking. That's bound to change Mum's mind about you and Naomi!' Katie said with as much sarcasm as she could conjure up for someone with a very limited range of acting skills.

'I've given up with trying to change her mind about us. It's never going to happen. I don't care what she thinks any more. I just want to get out of here and live my own life with Naomi.'

'I suppose she's going to move in permanently with you, is she?' Katie stared across at Naomi who nodded back at her silently but defiantly all the same.

'Fuck me! You've got it all worked out, haven't you, girl? You know, it wouldn't surprise me to find out you sent that second Valentine's card to yourself, just to make this whole thing happen. Yeah, that would be fucking priceless!'

Katie burst into a fit of laughter which infuriated Naomi and she stood up to defend herself and give Katie a piece of her mind but Emily had stepped in before she could get a word out.

'I don't know why you're laughing, Katie. You're not much better than Mum. The only reason _you _didn't send that card is because you haven't got the imagination or the brains to think of it. Which was it, Katie?'

'Neither. I wouldn't have done it, simple as. I'm not obsessed with you two like Mum is. I've already told you, I don't give a fuck who you sleep with or who you _think _you're in love with. Do what you want. I've got my own life to lead.'

'Jesus! I don't recognise you any more. I know we've always fought and argued but you never used to be like this.'

Katie did a double take and stared at Emily in bewilderment. 'Like what?'

'So uncaring, so jealous, so much like a complete stranger. You know, there was a time when I couldn't imagine I would ever love anyone as much as I loved you. I would have done anything you asked me to just because you were my sister and I loved you. But now……………'

'What?' said Katie in a voice which sounded so small, so soft that it felt it hardly had the strength to come out as more than a whisper.

'Now, I don't even know you any more.'

Katie looked long and hard at Emily for a few seconds before she burst into tears, turned her back on the two girls, unlocked the door and slammed it shut behind her.

* * *

**Time: 17.24.28**

'Mum. Now we've finished working and you're really pleased with what I've done with Thomas this afternoon, will you let us go to the Valentine's Day club night tonight? All the rest of the crowd are going. PLEASE, Mum!!'

Mrs Moon looked at her daughter's plaintive face with considerable trepidation. She was extremely pleased with what Thomas had managed to teach Pandora, that was perfectly true. He had surprised her with his patience and persistence and Pandora had seemed to respond to those admirable qualities with more eagerness than she would have thought possible.

However she was still very nervous about letting her daughter go out to these night clubs where she could so easily mix with some very bad people, even if she didn't now think that Thomas was like that in any way. Pandora was desperate to go she could see that, though and she didn't want to discourage her from continuing to work hard under Thomas's expert tuition in the future. Maybe there was a way to let her go out without worrying about what she might be getting g up to! _Could she… possibly…. get away with it?_ Mrs Moon toyed with the bizarre and wacky idea that had suddenly popped into her head and was surprised to find how excited she was at the thought of trying to pull it off.

'Very well, Pandora. But I absolutely insist that you be back at 12.00 and that you DO NOT come back smelling of alcohol. I haven't changed my opinion on that one iota.. Do you understand?'

'Yes!!! Thanks, Mum!! Yippeeeee!' It was an awesomely ecstatic Pandora who rushed upstairs five minutes later, after helping to lay the table for an early dinner, to decide what restrained, tasteful, understated outfit she was going to wear that evening

* * *

**Time: 17.48.22**

It was with an unusually jaunty step and a contented smile on her face that Effy turned into her road and walked along the pavement towards her house, still clutching and smelling from time to time the large bunch of red and black roses that Freddie had presented to her that afternoon as a Valentine's present after Cook had taken his leave.

She had of course accepted them gratefully and thanked him accordingly with a passionate kiss but hadn't revealed just how thrilled ant touched she was by this gesture. 'Sweet!' she thought to herself secretly. Freddie, in turn, had been touched by the silly little presents she had given him for his shed – the coasters, the tablecloth, the two pink cushions for the sofa and, of course, the doilies.

After the exchange of presents the two of them had gone over to the skate park where Freddie had endeavoured to teach her how to skateboard. She had fallen over a number of times, proving she wasn't a natural skater and the pair of them had been in fits of laughter as she tried unsuccessfully to stay on the skateboard more than even a few seconds.

Now she was close to home, where she faced the tricky decision of whether to make serious plans to leave her Mum and go and stay with her Dad. She wasn't looking forward to telling her Mum that she couldn't stand the idea of living in the same house as her any longer. It was never an easy subject to broach with your parents but Effy felt she had no alternative, I f she stayed living with her Mum for much longer she feared being dragged down into the same spiral of depression and self-pity as her.

She entered the house and went straight to the kitchen, intent on putting the flowers in water immediately. She found a flower bowl in one of the cupboards, which obviously hadn't seen the light of day for some considerable time, filled it up with water from the sink and plopped the roses into the bowl without wasting any effort on fancy flower arranging. She had decided against attending that particular class at school, preferring to choose psychology instead.

After sitting back and taking in the pleasing effect of the roses for a minute or two, she got up and went in search of her Mum who she guessed had probably fallen asleep in front of the television, having drunk her way through the best part of a bottle of gin during the day to block out the harsh reality that she was all alone on Valentine's Day.

Effy went into the living room and sure enough found her mother flat out on the sofa, dead to the world.

'Fucking typical!' thought Effy and was on the point of leaving her to it and going up to her bedroom when she stopped. Two things had grabbed her attention. Firstly her mother wasn't snoring as she would normally be doing after having chucked all that booze down her neck – Effy could see the half empty bottle on the table next to the sofa. In fact her mother wasn't making a sound, not even a soft rhythmic breathing noise.

The second thing that grabbed her attention, indeed which instantly made her heart begin to pound at the rate of knots and her knees tremble and shake beneath her, was the sight of what looked at first sight suspiciously like a couple of empty bottles of pills from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Effy rushed over to the sofa and shook her Mum violently, whilst shouting to her at the top of her voice. 'Mum!! Mum!! Mum!!!!

Her mother didn't move a muscle. She felt lifeless against Effy's trembling hands and although she still felt warm to Effy's touch, she appeared to be deeply set in unconsciousness. Effy's chest tightened brutally and for a few panic-stricken moments she had trouble breathing herself. After a few seconds of paralysed immobility and inertia, she got up and ran over to the telephone and dialled the emergency services. She just about managed to keep a cool enough head on her to give clear details of their address and what she thought must have happened before hanging up and breaking down sobbing uncontrollably on the floor.


	7. Chapter 7: 1800 2000

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

Previously on '**Skins 24 – Valentine's Day'**: Cook disturbs Effy & Freddie getting romantic but decides not to tell them about his shock discovery. Emily confronts her mother about the Valentine's card and starts packing to leave home when her mother doesn't deny it was her who sent it. Mrs Moon agrees to let Thomas take Panda to the club that evening. JJ agrees to meet up with Mary at the club even though he is going there with Katie. Effy returns home to find her Mum has taken an overdose of pills.

* * *

**Time: 18.03.36**

'Are you sure your Mum doesn't mind me moving in?' asked an anxious Emily, as she continued with her unpacking in Naomi's room, whilst Naomi watched her from her position sitting up on the bed.

'No, she's really cool about it, honestly. Mind you, she did make a little comment about thinking you had already moved in anyway……'

'Oh, you're joking!' interrupted Emily, stopping what she was doing and looking at Naomi aghast. The last thing she wanted to do was put Gina out, especially as she was going to be relying on her help and co-operation for the last part of her secret Valentine's Day plan.

'Relax! She had a huge smile on her face when she said it. Come on, Em. You know Mum thinks you're wonderful. You get on with her better than I do!'

'Yeah, I guess. I've never understood that. She's great, your Mum is. Why don't you two get on better?'

Naomi sighed heavily and flopped backwards on to the bed. 'I've lived with her a lot longer than you – including that whole time when it was fucking open house to every down and out in the city. You should have tried waking up in the morning not knowing what freak's going to be lying next to you in bed.'

Emily couldn't suppress a few giggles at the memory of some of those incidents that Naomi had told her about last year before they had got together. 'God, do you remember the Jesus look-alike who let me in to the house that first time? He was gross!'

'Yeah, well, I suppose I ought to _thank_ him for at least letting you in. If he hadn't, who knows whether all this would have happened or not?'

'Bloody hell, Naomi's going all sentimental and soppy for once! Whatever next?'

'Fuck off, Fitch and get on with your unpacking!' Naomi grinned broadly as she hurled this affectionate abuse at the diminutive redhead.

'I suppose we could ask old Jesus to the wedding………..if we could track him down.'

Naomi sat up sharply in speechless disbelief and stared hard at Emily to see if she was being even remotely serious with this utterly absurd and fanciful suggestion.

'No, what the fuck am I on about? Forget it, it's a ridiculous idea.'

'Thank Christ for that. For a second I was worried you were being serious.'

'Of course I wasn't. I mean, after all, how the hell would we know where to send the invitation?'

Naomi picked up a pillow and hurled it across the room at Emily, catching her a glancing blow on the shoulder as the redhead rolled around on the floor laughing her head off at Naomi's spiky reaction to her gentle teasing about them getting married.

'You're a pain in the arse, Fitch. Do you know that?' and yet the tall blonde couldn't completely hide the suggestion of a smile at the corners of her mouth despite valiantly attempting to cover it up with her bluster.

* * *

**Time: 18.17.52**

While Pandora and Thomas were preoccupied watching television downstairs, Mrs Moon snuck upstairs to her bedroom and was now surveying the contents of her wardrobe thoughtfully. It was years since she had last got herself all glammed up to go out dancing, she realised. Yet here she was trying to put together an outfit suitable not only for this rarest of occasions but also one which would enable her to pass herself off as an ordinary teenager going out to a nightclub. Was this mission impossible she had set herself or could she somehow manage to pull it off?

The hair and make up shouldn't present much of a problem, she reckoned. She was fairly skilled in that department anyway and she had already decided she would wear some sort of head covering which would mask as much of her face as possible to conceal the unpalatable truth that her teenage years were long behind her. No, it was the rest of her clothes that was going to cause her the biggest headache.

Everything she had in the wardrobe -dresses, skirts, tops, shirts, shoes and jumpers - seemed to scream 'forty year old mother of a teenage girl' at the top of their collective voices at her. After some five or ten minutes of increasingly frantic and desperate contemplation of her entire wardrobe, having tried all manner of combinations of colours, materials and styles, Mrs Moon had virtually abandoned her hastily dreamt up plan of secretly attending the club night incognito as one of her worst ideas ever.

Then, just as she was closing her bedroom door and was turning round to go back downstairs, she had another idea, one so daring, so ingenious, so out of left field that she almost hugged herself with excitement that she had even thought of it. She tiptoed halfway down the stairs to check that Pandora and Thomas were still engrossed in watching television and, satisfied that they were, she hurried back up to the landing and quietly opened the door to Pandora's room and crept inside, shutting the door behind her.

Once inside she made a beeline for Panda's wardrobe and sifted through her daughter's extraordinary collection of colours, patterns, styles and materials. Surely all she had to do was pick out a few things at random when Panda and Thomas had left and throw them on. After all, that approach clearly worked fine for Panda. She wasn't aware that her daughter had ever been sent home from school or anywhere else for wearing inappropriate and unacceptable clothes. Surely she would gain entry to the nightclub if she imitated the dress sense and style of her fashion icon daughter?

* * *

**Time: 18.40.51**

Effy was sat fidgeting on a chair, flanked by her father and Freddie, constantly twisting her fingers nervously around a tissue which was holding in her hands and which she used from time to dry her eyes. Freddie had an arm around her shoulders and her father was just staring blankly in front of him, not quite knowing what to say or what to do with himself.

'What the fuck's happening?' exclaimed Effy, beside herself with worry and unable to prevent an overwhelming yet undefined feeling of guilt from invading every square inch of her shattered mind. 'It's been almost half an hour since they took her in! Surely they must have pumped the pills out of her stomach by now!'

'They know what they're doing, love,' replied her father, hoping he sounded more confident than he actually felt. 'She's in the best hands. She'll be okay, trust me.'

Freddie squeezed Effy's shoulder and she leaned into him for emotional as much as physical support. He had come tearing over to the hospital as soon as she had phoned him on her mobile before the doctors took her mother into the operating theatre. Her father she had phoned immediately after she had called for an ambulance and she was mightily relieved when he showed up, looking as stunned and terrified as she herself felt.

'It's all my fault,' said Effy, trying to hold back the tears but failing. 'I wasn't there for her after you left. I should have been there to pick her up but all I did was run away from her.'

'You can't blame yourself, love. You weren't to know how bad she must have been feeling inside. I should have come round more often to check up on her and see how she was coping. If anyone's to blame, it's me.'

Mr Stonem shook his head and reached out for Effy's hand which she gratefully allowed him to hold for a while. It was the closest father and daughter had been to each other in years, united by fear and shock at the possible loss of the one person who still, after everything the family had been through in the last year, meant more to them than anyone else.

'Don't think about stuff like who's to blame right now. You can deal with that later when's she's recovered. Just concentrate on her getting through this right now,' Freddie's words of reason were intended for Effy's benefit but Jim nodded thoughtfully and quietly acknowledged the wisdom of Freddie's little speech. 'Yes, you're right, son.' We can think about the future tomorrow. Let's just get through tonight first, eh?'

* * *

**Time: 19.04.26**

She was running a few minutes behind the intended seven o'clock start but that apart Emily thought she had everything more or less under control. Gina had done her bit for the evening as agreed with Emily and now she and Kieran were going to make themselves scarce, leaving the house completely free for the two girls. Naomi was still kicking her heels impatiently in her bedroom, having been confined to barracks on pain of death by Emily. The redhead had issued Naomi with strict instructions not to come downstairs until she was called and that she should dress for dinner.

'You'll be wanting some money for the pictures, I suppose,' joked Emily to Gina and Kieran with a big smile.

'Well, we are going to the pictures as it happens but I think we're okay for money, sweetheart. Tonight's on Kieran.' Gina grabbed hold of Kieran's hand and said 'Come on, love. Our presence is no longer required.'

'It's a poor state of affairs when you get kicked out of your own home by your children,' Kieran teased Gina with a twinkle in his eye. 'In Ireland the kids usually can't wait till the day they can leave home and live their own life.'

'Thanks ever so much for helping out, Gina,' said Emily warmly and very sincerely. 'And for letting us have the place to ourselves tonight.' Emily went over to Gina and hugged her tightly and was hugged back by a smiling Gina who kissed her on the cheek.

'It's my pleasure, love. Now you two have a fabulous evening together. I presume you're going out to the club later on, aren't you, so we won't wait up for you. We'll catch you in the morning. Bye love.'

Gina and Kieran yelled goodbye to Naomi and disappeared, leaving a grateful Emily to put the finishing touches to the table and check that the starters were ready to be served. When she was satisfied that the meal could begin, she went to the bottom of the stairs and called Naomi down, telling her to come through to the kitchen. She met her outside the kitchen door and after telling her to close her eyes she took Naomi's hand and led her gently into the kitchen, whereupon she informed her she could open them now.

With a bemused thrill of anticipation and intense curiosity, Naomi opened her eyes and was gobsmacked by the sight she saw before her. A romantic candlelit dinner for two had been carefully set at the table, complete with champagne. All the best china crockery, glasses, cutlery, napkins and place mats had been brought out and two beautiful long red candles lit up the table at either end. The flowers that Naomi had got for Emily were prominently displayed and their Valentine's cards to each other were also on show.

'Wow! That's absolutely beautiful. Was this all your idea?' whispered an emotionally blown away Naomi, tears of joy visibly forming around her eyes.

'Most of it,' said Emily, similarly overcome with emotion at the sight of Naomi's clearly captivated face, 'although your Mum's been brilliant and helped out with some of the food as well as help lay the table. The champagne's a present for us both from Kieran, by the way.'

'Ah, bless him!' said Naomi with a sweet smile. 'He's a really good guy.'

'So, Madame, is this table to your liking? It's the best table in the restaurant, one we reserve for our most favoured customers.'

Naomi bit her lip to suppress a chuckle and eagerly joined in the fun. 'That will be most acceptable, thank you.'

'Well, if Madame will take her seat, I shall serve the starter immediately.' Emily showed Naomi to her chair and politely and properly in the best restaurant traditions eased her into her seat. The redhead probably overstepped the normal proprieties of customer service when she planted a long, deep kiss onto Naomi's lips after she had sat down but the customer, on this occasion, didn't appear to have taken much offence.

'Is the kissing included within the set menu or does one have to pay extra for that?'

'I think you'll find kissing your waitress for the evening is compulsory tonight!' said a giggling Emily, close to doubling up in laughter, all the more so as Naomi was heroically keeping a perfectly straight face during their humorous exchanges.

* * *

**Time: 19.13.26**

The doorbell rang and for the third time that day JJ got up to go to the front door, curious to see who it was this time. He couldn't remember a day like it when he had received so many unexpected visitors. First off it had been Cook who had come to drag him kicking and screaming to the water park to pick up some lonely hearts. Then it had been Emily and Naomi who had called whilst he and Katie were in the middle of selecting his outfit for the evening. Now who the hell could it be? Freddie and Effy, perhaps?

His stomach fluttered a little as he thought wistfully of the sight of Effy standing on his doorstep, with or without Freddie in tow. He couldn't help himself – he was still captivated by the slim, leggy brunette who was the epitome of 'cool' in his eyes. Not that he had ever stood more than a snowball's chance in hell of getting it on with her, certainly not once his two best mates had declared themselves amongst the runners and riders in that particular field. No, he'd been forced to admire her from a distance, which he still derived enormous pleasure from doing, nonetheless.

But, sadly, JJ was not to get another opportunity to drool silently over Effy for he was disappointed to find that it was Cook, yet again, who was waiting for him on the doorstep. JJ hid his sadness well and tried to sound pleased to see his friend again.

'Cook. Hi! What's up?'

'Can I come in, JJ? I need to talk to someone. It's important.'

JJ raised an eyebrow in surprise. Cook wasn't usually one to share his problems with other people, least of all JJ, so he reckoned it had to be something pretty serious to prompt Cook to come round and take him into his confidence.

'Sure. Come in.'

Cook entered the house and followed JJ into the dining room where they sat down at two of the chairs around the table. JJ could tell that Cook looked worried and concerned about something and so he waited patiently for Cook to be ready to fill him in on the details. JJ knew not to press him too quickly or too hard to spill the beans. Cook would always do things in his own time, in his own way and hated people trying to force the issue with him. He liked being in control of every situation he was in.

JJ made them both a hot drink in order to give himself something to do while Cook collected his thoughts and worked out what he was going to say. When the drinks were made and both boys were sipping the hot liquid from the piping hot mugs, JJ looked across at Cook and thought he detected a real nervousness and uncertainty in Cook's eyes that he couldn't recall having ever seen before.

'I'm in a real mess, Jay. I don't know what to do. I'm torn, like never before. I know what I should do but I don't think I can bring myself to go through with it.'

Cook was speaking in riddles so JJ had to gently cajole him into giving him a quick summary of the whole story of his predicament. It would be fair to say that JJ's reaction was over the top, perhaps even a bit theatrical, if entirely predictable.

'Fuck! I mean…..Jesus Christ! You're going to be a Dad? But…..but….but how? No, I don't mean how, obviously I know _how_, I mean………why? Or do I mean when? Shit! You?.....a father? I mean…….fuck!!'

'Hey! Calm down, JJ! You sound like you're having kittens. I'm the father to be, not you.'

'I know. Sorry, But……even so….fuck! You're going to be a Dad! Are you?' JJ shot an inquiring look at Cook who didn't answer him straight away, instead glancing down at the floor as he took in another gulp of his drink.

'I don't know, Jay. I know I ought to just agree to the abortion and help her out with the money. I wasn't looking to settle down and have a family, after all. I'm only seventeen! It's bleeding obvious what I should do. But somehow……I just can't.'

'Why not, Cook? If it's so obvious, I mean?'

'Because…… it's MY child we're taking about. If it was anyone else's we were talking about, I'd be saying 'don't be an arsehole, get rid of it! You don't need that kind of shit in your life right now'. But when it's yours, it's …….different, you know?'

'But…..does _she_ want the baby?' JJ couldn't help thinking of the poor girl concerned that Cook had so thoughtfully got up the duff. He was struck by how Cook was only thinking about himself, and not her.

'No way! Not unless I agree to have it with her and there's no chance of that. She's only a kid, for fuck's sake.'

'She was old enough to shag, though.' JJ muttered that last remark almost under his breath and looked up quickly, afraid that Cook had heard him and would give him hell for being so bold as to point out the responsibility for this mess was ultimately all his. But Cook had gone off into an almost trance-like state of distraction, unaware of what was being said around him. JJ breathed a sigh of relief when Cook looked up and said 'What? Sorry JJ, I was miles away.'

'Nothing. So, what are you going to do?'

'I need to talk to her again. I've been trying to call her on her mobile but she won't pick up. I've left loads of messages but she hasn't come back to me. She probably wants me to stew in my own juices for a while.'

_An unfortunate choice of phrase_, thought JJ, _given the circumstances_. 'You're still going to the Valentine's party tonight, aren't you?'

'I suppose so. Maybe getting rat-arsed might concentrate my mind a bit more, you know. It might help me to see what I've got to do.'

JJ smiled at the concept of Cook needing an excuse to get pissed out of his brain. He didn't usually need one, it just happened naturally, whatever it took to push him closer to the edge which was where he liked to live his life. Well, he was well and truly on the edge right now, for sure. He was standing on a fucking precipice, looking down over a huge cliff where only the rocks and the cold, unforgiving sea were lying in wait for him to make his decision. To jump or not to jump? Over to you, Cook!

* * *

**Time: 19.28.43**

'Are you sure you don't want me to stay?' asked Effy, looking at her Mum and Dad. She and Mr Stonem were sitting on either side of Anthea who was lying in a hospital bed, recuperating from the successful stomach-pumping operation which had mercifully saved her life. Anthea looked understandably pale, drawn and exhausted by the experience but her husband and daughter didn't care how she looked right now. They were just mightily relieved she was still alive.

'You heard the doctor, love. She's going to be okay now,' said Jim who had been holding Anthea's hand ever since they had been allowed to see for five minutes and hadn't shown any sign of wanting to let go of it. 'You go home and get some rest. You must be exhausted yourself. I'll stay here with your Mum tonight. You can see her tomorrow morning and hopefully the doctor will say she can come home.'

'Mum? Do you want me to stay?' Effy didn't want to run out on her Mum now even though she had always hated hospitals and was feeling nauseous and depressed just being there. Even though her prompt actions on discovering her Mum unconscious had effectively helped to save her life, she was still feeling horrendously guilty inside about her previous plans to leave home and bugger off somewhere else, possibly her Dad's.

'No, it's alright, love. You go home,.' croaked her mother with some difficulty. 'I'll be fine with your Dad. Go back and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow.'

Effy got up from the chair and gently hugged her mother, holding on to her like it might be the last time she would ever see her and only broke away to kiss her on the cheek. 'I'll be back tomorrow, okay. Now, behave yourself, do you hear?' she joked, though without giving much evidence of a smile. Effy went round the bed to her Dad to be given a huge hug by him also, as he whispered in her ear 'Well done, love. You were brilliant tonight,' which almost set her off into tears but she just about managed to hold them back, before waving goodbye and leaving the ward to rejoin Freddie who was waiting for her outside in the corridor.

'Is she okay?' he asked anxiously, standing up and coming over to Effy as she emerged from the ward. Effy nodded silently and sank into his arms which he wrapped around the distressed girl and held her as tightly as he could without squeezing the life out of the already emotionally exhausted young girl.

'She's going to be okay, they reckon. Dad's going to stay with her tonight. I can go back tomorrow morning. They might let her come home if she seems up to it.'

'That's great news,' said Freddie, who had been pacing up and down outside while he waited for her, concerned not only for Anthea but also for Effy and what effect this whole near-tragic business would have on her. 'So, what now? Home?'

'Please. I still want to go to the party tonight, though. I need to get completely wasted. .I badly need a few drinks. My head's all over the place at the moment. I need to relax and think straight. This could be my last wild night for a long time, Freddie. Mum's going to need me to stick around, you know. She's been crying for help for ages, only I wasn't listening. So from now on, I intend to be around to hear her.'

Freddie understood what she meant and nodded. With their arms still wrapped around each other, they walked slowly down the corridor, heading for the exit and then home.

* * *

**Time: 19.51.39**

Emily and Naomi slumped back in their chairs, absolutely stuffed full. Emily's surprise Valentine's Day meal had been an unqualified success and had been every bit as romantic and special as she had hoped. The champagne had been the perfect accompaniment to the sumptuous three course meal that Emily had so lovingly and skilfully prepared and Naomi had complimented her so many times that the redhead's heart was almost singing with pride and joy. It had been the perfect day but there was still more to come.

I've got something else for you, Em,' said Naomi with a twinkle in her eyes and the beginnings of a grin. 'Hang on a minute. The blonde disappeared briefly only to reappear a minute later with a couple of presents wrapped up in appropriate Valentine's Day paper.

'I've been waiting for the right moment to give you these,' Naomi said, placing them on the table in front of Emily. 'I think now is the perfect moment.'

Emily looked at her girlfriend with undisguised joy and curiosity and eagerly dived in to the top present which Naomi had indicated she should open first. Inside she found a small, red jewellery box which she quickly opened, her heart beating fast with mounting excitement. She gasped out loud when she saw inside a gold, heart-shaped locket and chain and, encouraged by Naomi to open the locket, she duly did so, to discover that one half of it contained a tiny photo of Naomi and the other an inscription which said simply 'I Love You.'

The tears immediately started to roll down her face as she looked at the beautiful locket and in particular the inscription which meant more to her than anything in the world. She flew round the table in Olympic record breaking speed and flung her arms around Naomi's neck, hanging on to her so tightly that Naomi feared she might be in danger of being smothered by her but thought 'Well, what a way to go!' nonetheless

They exchanged long, deep, passionate kisses, which compensated for the fact that Emily was too over come to get any words out for quite a while. Eventually Emily managed to say the words 'I love you too' and Naomi smiled and hugged and kissed the redhead even more.

'Hey, don't forget your other present, Em' whispered Naomi in Emily's ear eventually whereupon Emily reached out across the table, not wanting to move from where she was sitting on Naomi's lap, and picked up the second mystery present which had a label on it saying 'To be used later on tonight!'

Emily gave Naomi a look of complete bemusement and impatiently ripped off the paper, desperate to find out what it could be. She uncovered a large bottle of something liquid and on reading the label on the front she quickly burst out laughing, huge, uncontrollable belly laughs which threatened to degenerate into insane cackles. Naomi couldn't stop herself from joining in also and the pair of them were in such hysterics that they nearly fell off their chair, so violently were they laughing.

'Massage oils!' said Emily, smiling through her tears. 'What could be more perfect?'

* * *

.


	8. Chapter 8: 2000 2200

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

Previously on '**Skins 24 – Valentine's Day'**: Emily prepares a special Valentine's Day meal for her and Naomi after which Naomi gives Emily a locket and massage oils as presents. Pandora's mother decides to disguise herself as a teenager and gain entry to the club so as to check up on Pandora & Thomas. Cook tells JJ about him having got a young girl pregnant at a party and about his reluctance to go along with an abortion. Effy leaves her Mum recovering in hospital from her overdose and resolves to look after her after one final drinking binge later that evening at the club.

* * *

**Time: 20.14.25**

Katie applied the finishing touches to her make-up before nodding with appreciation at the result in the mirror – dressed to kill, she reckoned, though she said so herself, - and then picking up her handbag and going downstairs. JJ had agreed to pick her up at the house at half past eight and so she wanted to be ready for him when he called round. She went into the living room where her Mum and Dad were sitting watching television and sat down in an empty chair.

'You look nice, dear,' said Jenna, smiling at her elder daughter. 'Where are you off to?'

'Just to the pub and then on to a club,' replied Katie, coolly. She was still smarting from Emily's caustic comments about her and blamed her Mum for having inflamed the whole tricky family situation by sending Naomi that Valentine's card. If she hadn't done such a stupid and pointless thing, then none of today's flashpoint confrontations and hurtful remarks would have happened.

'Who are you going with?' asked Jenna, who could sense the uneasy atmosphere that had developed between the two of them and was keen to try to repair it as much as she could. 'Is it someone we know?'

'Yes, JJ's taking me.' Katie answered, still defiantly not looking up at her Mum.

'Is that the weird little guy who came for you and Emily last summer with his tall mate?' Rob would normally have stayed out of such conversations, uneasy or not, but on this occasion he couldn't stop himself from expressing his astonishment that Katie was going out with such a freakish oddball. JJ seemed nothing like Katie's normal type – they had always tended to be tall, well-built, cocky, arrogant smart-arses who he wouldn't have trusted for one second to treat his daughter with respect and keep their grubby little hands off her. But this lad – well, he couldn't imagine JJ even knowing what to do even if he was given the slightest encouragement by Katie.

'He's not weird, he's………different, that's all. He's sensitive and a bit shy. You probably frightened the life out of him that night, Dad. I wouldn't be surprised if he won't even come in to the house tonight if he knows you're here.' Katie was only saying this to wind up her Dad but actually she suspected there might be more than a grain of truth in what she had just said. JJ still had nightmares of the one time he had met her Mum and Dad and was probably keen to avoid another painful confrontation.

'What did I do to scare him?' Rob effected the injured expression and outraged tone of someone who had been falsely accused of the most heinous of crimes.

'Dad, he said you grinned at him like a blithering idiot the whole time he was here. You didn't take your eyes off him once and you made him feel so nervous he could barely speak. You scared the shit out of him!'

'Go on! I never even touched him! I was just concentrating on what he was saying, that's all. Not that it did me any good, mind. I couldn't understand a bloody word he was on about it.'

Rob's fuzzy but abiding memory of that brief visit to the house by JJ and his tall, skinny mate was that JJ seemed to be terrified of his own shadow and babbled and stuttered so nervously that he could hardly string two sentences together. Katie's much clearer memory of that uncomfortable clash of personalities, as told to her by JJ, was that he had let the cat out of the bag about having slept with Emily but so vaguely, so incoherently, that her Mum and Dad didn't cotton on to the real significance behind his nervous babbling.

The doorbell suddenly rang just as if JJ had heard his cue and realised it was time for him to make his stage entrance. Katie jumped up and went to the door, closely followed by her father, who wanted to see if this JJ seemed any different this time and so ignored the protests of Katie not to come and meet him. She opened the door and sweetly greeted JJ who was standing on the doorstep. He returned her welcome with an equally warm smile which quickly transformed into a sickly, fixed grin borne out of horror at the sudden appearance of Mr Fitch over Katie's shoulder.

'You're early, JJ. That's impressive. Most guys turn up late and keep a girl waiting. I'm glad you're not like all the others. Come on, let's go.'

'JJ! Good to see you again!' said Rob, stepping forward alongside Katie and holding out his hand towards JJ, forcing the frightened lad to acknowledge his presence and return his polite greeting.

'Um…..Mr Fitch……Yes…….um, hello. It's very nice to meet you again.'

JJ reluctantly extended his right hand to shake Rob's in time-honoured tradition and tried his damnedest not to wince or scream out loud as Mr Fitch's firm, manly handshake threatened to crush his own sweaty, limp hand into an unrecognisable pulp.

'So you're on your own this time, eh? You're a brave lad taking our Katie on,' smiled Rob in exaggerated fashion and he gave JJ a sly wink. This only served to make JJ even more nervous and terrified as he didn't quite know what to make of such an unexpected and enigmatic gesture. Was he giving him a cryptic warning to keep his increasingly sweaty hands off his daughter or was it a secret sign of encouragement to 'get stuck in there, my son, you have my permission to roger her senseless'?

He giggled nervously and involuntarily, not trusting himself to come out with the right words in response and felt his cheeks blush a deep crimson in self- inflicted embarrassment. Rob's eyes glazed over in utter bewilderment at this giggling village idiot standing in front of him and he wondered if Katie hadn't completely lost the plot in allowing such a nerd to take her out for a date. He wasn't sure if he preferred it when she used to go out with a procession of horny, self-confident, mouthy bastards.

At least he knew where he stood with them, he could relate to them very easily and knew exactly what they were after with his daughter. He could see elements of his younger self in those sex-obsessed bucks and studs and had no qualms in telling them just what they would have coming to them if they so much as laid a finger on his precious daughters.

Somehow he had the feeling that it would be completely unnecessary for him to issue the same warning of dire consequences to JJ if he meddled with Katie in any way. If anything, he felt sorry for the poor bastard and wondered if his parents knew that their son was getting involved with a real man-eater like Katie. Perhaps _they _should be the ones protecting their innocent son from her, rather than the other way round.

Katie could tell JJ was feeling extremely tongue-tied and nervous facing up to her Dad and took pity on him quickly. 'Bye, Dad, see you later. Don't wait up, I'll be back late. Come on, JJ. Let's go.' She offered JJ her arm and after a few seconds' hesitation during which he blinked at Katie with wide open, confused eyes, JJ twigged what was required of him and slipped his left arm under and then over hers .The two of them then briskly walked off down the garden path looking for all the world like promising entrants in some bizarre, party night 'Odd Couples Competition.'

* * *

**Time: 20.32.47**

Freddie came out of the kitchen carrying two cups of hot black coffee and took them into the living room where Effy was sitting motionless in a chair, staring blankly at the sofa where only a couple of hours ago she had found her mother unconscious.

'Coffee, Ef,' said Freddie softly and put the steaming mugs on the table which had been cleared of the bottles of pills by the paramedics when they arrived on the scene.

'Thanks,' said Effy, without making any movement to pick up her mug and drink from it. Freddie sipped his coffee quietly and looked across at Effy, trying to gauge her state of to work out how best to play it with her right then. It was difficult to say if she ought to get the whole thing off her chest now or whether it would be wiser to give her time to let the events sink in properly before discussing them. Freddie knew she was a tough, hard as nails, very controlled and composed young woman but this was the sort of thing that could knock anyone sideways. He remembered how his mother's death had affected him a few years back.

'Are you okay?' he asked, realising it was a pretty dumb question but knowing he had to start somewhere.

'Not really,' said Effy, looking up at him with expressionless eyes which seemed to be a million miles away. 'I just can't get it out of my head that if I'd have got back five minutes later she'd have been dead.'

'But you didn't. You got back when you did and that saved her life,' pointed out Freddie, wondering if he should go over to her and hold her and cuddle her. She had given no sign or indication so far that she needed a hug or any other form of close contact for comfort and he couldn't read the message in her eyes, if there was one.

'If I'd have spotted the signs beforehand, she would never have taken the pills in the first place, though.'

'You don't know that, Effy! You can't think like that. Stop torturing yourself. Your Mum might have done it on the spur of the moment. You don't know she'd been thinking of doing it for ages.'

'But I knew how unhappy she was. I could see how her self-pity and her anger were eating her up inside and all I wanted to do was get out and leave her to it. What sort of daughter was I? Where was I when she really needed me?'

'You _were _here when she needed you most. You were right here by her side when she could have died. You showed how much you cared by what you did then. Stop beating yourself up about it.'

This time Freddie stopped trying to think about whether or not it was the right thing to do, he just did it. He went over to Effy, sat on the arm of the chair and pulled her gently towards him. She made no effort to resist, leaning into his side as she closed her eyes and bit her lip, like she was straining to stop the tears from flowing.

'I can't run away now, Freddie. I have to stay with her and keep an eye on her.'

'I know. But…..I'll always be nearby, Effy. You do know that, don't you? I can help you anytime you want. You won't have to do this on your own, I promise.'

Effy looked up at Freddie and actually smiled for the first time in hours. Dear faithful, kind Freddie. She totally believed him, too – he _would _always be there for her whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on, someone to let off steam at, or someone to share her burden of guilt with. She could no longer be a free spirit for the foreseeable future and Freddie could rest easy that he wouldn't have to decide whether he was prepared to take a risk and tag along with her wherever she chose to go. She was going nowhere.

'Yeah, I know.' She raised her head and kissed him lightly on the cheek. 'Thanks.'

They sat like that in silence for five more minutes until Effy slowly disentangled herself from Freddie's comforting embrace and stood up rather unsteadily, as she felt her legs tingle a little with pins ands needles.

'I'm going to go and get ready for tonight, okay? I won't be too long.'

'Take however long you need. I'll be right here,' said Freddie and took her place in the armchair, smiling after her as she left the living room.

* * *

**Time: 20.58.19**

Most of the gang were seated at a couple of tables in a corner of the pub knocking back their first drink of the night. Naomi and Emily were next to each other, of course, still on an emotional high after their romantic meal at Naomi's and Emily was shyly yet proudly showing Panda and Katie her locket. They had both agreed not to bring the oils along, however, and share that particular joke with all the others.

'Oh, wow!' said Panda, as she examined the locket in great detail. 'That's beautiful, Emily. Look, Thomas. Isn't that absolutely super?'

Even Katie was sufficiently moved and impressed by Naomi's token of her love for Emily to pass an admiring comment on it. 'That's lovely,' she said and smiled at both girls. 'I wish I had someone who cared that much about ME.'

Emily was touched by her sister's genuine appreciation of Naomi's present and reached out to lay a conciliatory hand on Katie's arm. 'I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean any of it, honestly. I was so angry with Mum for what she did and I guess I just took it out on you.'

'Forget it,' replied Katie, squeezing her sister's arm to emphasise that the apology was accepted and that their row was a thing of the past. 'Mum shouldn't have done what she did. I wish she had told me what she was planning to do. I could have told her not to bother. A stupid thing like that was never going to break you two up.'

Naomi and Emily looked at each other and both laughed, glad that there wasn't going to be an unpleasant atmosphere between the three of them that evening after all.

Thomas was being his usual polite, attentive self towards Panda who was so excited that her mother had allowed them out that evening and had been singing Thomas' praises from the moment they had all met up. JJ was sitting next to Katie, feeling very awkward as her date for the evening and constantly blushing whenever Naomi made a harmless little joke at his expense about it.

Cook had joined them a short while ago but had seemed strangely subdued and quiet to all of them except JJ who looked over at his mate from time to time to see if he could pick up any sign from him on whether there had been any developments. Cook, however, seemed intent on avoiding eye contact with JJ and just sat very quietly drinking his beer more slowly than anyone could remember him doing ever before.

'What's up with you, Cook? You're very quiet tonight,' commented Naomi who liked to get to the bottom of things and wasn't afraid to ask a searching, direct question to get the ball rolling.

'Things on my mind, Naomi,' he said tersely, though not rudely, and he got up at the appearance of his uncle at the bar and went over to have a word with him without any further explanation. The others all looked at each other, puzzled and briefly speculated as to what could be up with him.

'He seems really down,' said Emily, as she played absentmindedly with her locket, hardly able to leave it alone for five minutes without needing to feel it was still there.

'Whatever it is, he'll cheer up when we get to the club and he can start picking off all the girls there,' sighed Katie, shaking her head in exasperation.

'I don't think he'll be doing that tonight,' said JJ softly, looking down at the table glumly, before looking up instantly, with a worried expression on his face, to see several pairs of eyes trained on him, all brimming with curiosity and expectation..

'Why, JJ? Do you know what's up with Cook?' Naomi stared hard at JJ and saw him turn red and begin to stutter and stammer in a sure sign that he knew something and was nervously trying to conceal it.

'No…….nothing….nothing at all…..I mean, I'm sure everything will be fine. Not that I know anything, of course……… I mean, it's a secret………..Shit! Don't all look at me like that, I'm not going to tell you about the baby, so don't even…….Fuck!! Shit!'

'Baby?' the rest of them all gasped in unison, shocked expressions etched all over their collective faces as they all stared at JJ even more intently.

'Who's having a baby, JJ' It was Katie's turn to take up the interrogation of poor JJ who now looked like a frightened rabbit caught in the headlights, as he shook his head and looked wildly all around him for a means of escaping out of the hole he had just unwittingly dug for himself.

'No-one! I don't know her name. No-one you know, anyway. So…….Please don't make me tell you. I promised……it's a big secret…….he'll kill me if he finds out I've……oh fuck! You fucking idiot, JJ, you useless, stupid, brain-dead…….'

'JJ!! Calm down,' said an anxious Emily who had been here before, mindful of the last time she had been with the poor lad when he had got locked on to one of his fits of uncontrollable rage at himself. 'I don't want to have to get my tits out here, JJ'

'What?' said an incredulous Panda, for whom the idea of Emily getting her tits out for JJ to grab his attention was a truly fascinating image.

'It worked last time,' explained Emily, who was still concentrating on getting JJ focused back on reality and out of the dark, dangerous vortex into which he was rapidly spiralling before their very eyes. 'JJ! JJ! Listen to me!'

'Hey, JJ! Grab a load of these!' said Pandora, pulling up her blouse to reveal her pert, well-formed breasts, just about contained within a sea-blue bra but still seemingly straining to escape from their uneasy imprisonment. JJ immediately stopped babbling incoherently and started staring wild-eyed at Pandora's ample chest as if he was transfixed by the sight of yet another pair of breasts which had been revealed to him without him even having to ask.

'Wow!' he said open-mouthed, whereupon everyone around the table burst out laughing as Pandora teasingly pulled down her top to bring to an end her unexpected photo shoot and grinned massively around her.

'JJ, if I didn't know you better, I'd swear you did that on purpose just to get one of us to show you our tits,' remarked Naomi thoughtfully with a wry smile at JJ who had calmed down now and was blushing with embarrassment at having caused such a scene.

'So, JJ, can we get back to what you were saying before? Nice and calmly, though. Whose baby were you going on about?'

* * *

**Time: 21.14.36**

Mrs Moon had been standing in the queue for the night club for some five minutes now, casting anxious glances around her, terrified that her daughter would turn up at any minute with Thomas and instantly recognise her wearing some of her clothes. She had been having plenty of second thoughts about the wisdom of her bold plan but thought it was too late to go back on it now without running the risk of bumping into them on their way over.

She had cross-examined Pandora in great detail about her timetable for the evening and knew that she and Thomas were planning on getting to the club around ten o'clock .She reckoned that if she got into the club at least a half an hour before them she could find herself a position from which she could hide from their sight yet still see them when they arrive and be able to keep tabs on them for the rest of the evening.

What she hadn't bargained for, of course, being an infrequent night clubber to put it mildly (the last time she could remember going out dancing was over fifteen years ago) was the sheer numbers of loud, excitable, hyped-up and seemingly already spaced-out young people all hanging around outside who were making her feel extremely self-conscious and nervous. She felt uncomfortable enough as it was wearing an extraordinarily tight, brightly coloured dress of Pandora's.

She stood quietly, trying to keep herself to herself, not looking at anyone directly and continually checking herself out in her small make-up mirror to see if her disguise as a teenager was going to work or not. She had let her hair down for the evening, literally as well as figuratively, and was wearing a scarf over her head, in a desperate attempt to hide the evidence that her face might otherwise give away that her teenage years were a thing of the past.

One or two youths standing next to her had been staring at her for a few minutes and had attempted to make some sort of conversation with her but she had answered with just a shake of the head and the odd monosyllabic reply, making it abundantly clear that she was not in the mood for harmless small talk or feeble chat up lines

Her heart was thumping so hard and fast that she was convinced everyone around her could hear it and would suspect that something was not quite right about her. She was praying for the doors to open so she could free herself from this ordeal and seek the sanctuary of a quiet corner of the club from which to observe the events of the evening unfold without being disturbed.

'Are you on your own, darling?' a tall, dark-haired young lad asked her in a rather kind voice from behind her and she was forced to turn round and face him, as he had tapped her gently on the shoulder.

'Um, yes…..but I'm meeting friends inside,' she said, trying to effect a teenager's voice and hoping he wouldn't look at her face too closely.

'Well, if you get fed up with them, come over and see me, babe. I'll buy you a drink and we can maybe get down and dirty on the dance floor, yeah? You look pretty hot to me!'

Mrs Moon smiled nervously and giggled, not knowing what the acceptable standard response would be in such a situation. She presumed he was trying to 'chat her up' but sadly she was seriously out of practice in how to deal with a strange but quite nice looking guy unashamedly trying to pick her up outside a club. Fortunately her embarrassment was saved by the sound of a huge cheer going up and she looked over to the entrance to the club and saw the doors were opening and the queue of young night clubbers had begun to move slowly but surely in front of her.

Her anxious period of waiting would mercifully soon be at an end and she would be able to enter the unfamiliar world of the teenage night club scene where who knows what weird and wonderful sights and sounds would await her on this most bizarre and unexpected of Saturday nights. What a terrifying contrast it promised to hold in store for her compared to her normal routine of curling up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a good book or watching a nice, inoffensive, family light entertainment TV show.

* * *

**Time: 21.26.58**

There was an air of stunned silence still hanging heavily around the table even some time after JJ had been cajoled and urged into spilling the beans about Cook's predicament. JJ was looking very sheepishly at everyone, wishing he hadn't given the game away so easily and fearing what Cook's reaction would be when he came back.

Cook had disappeared round the back of the bar with his uncle more than twenty minutes ago and had still not reappeared, leaving them all to speculate on what he might be talking to him about.

'Maybe he's asking his uncle if he'll lend him the money for an abortion,' surmised Naomi intelligently.

'What if he's asking him to help him get away from here? Maybe his uncle has a place where he can disappear to until it's all blown over,' Katie speculated imaginatively. 'I mean, come on, there's no way Cook is going to want a child in his life at seventeen. Who in their right mind would?'

'I wouldn't be so sure about that, Katie,' said JJ. 'When I last spoke with him he was pretty determined he wanted this baby to be born. He muttered something about it being the only thing in his life that would feel like it was his. He said there was nothing else in his life that actually meant something to him but that this baby would.'

'I suppose it could give him a reason to stay here and make something of his life,' Emily said, looking around at the others with an expression which told of someone trying to see the best in any situation, however seemingly hopeless or adverse.

They pondered some more on the various courses of action open to Cook until the lad in question suddenly reappeared from behind the bar and made his way back to join them at their table, picking up his pint glass and downing the remains of his drink as he sat down. He looked across at the others who were staring at him in silence and he could almost hear their collective intake of breath and feel their steely eyes boring into the innermost thoughts of his scrambled mind.

'What?' he said, irritably. 'Why the fuck are you all looking at me like that?'

They remained silent, some still looking at him with mixed expressions of sympathy, sorrow or exasperation, others staring down at the table, not wanting to catch his eye any more. Nothing was said and Cook eventually guessed what had happened during his absence, all the more so since JJ in particular wouldn't look him in the eye and seemed to be squirming uncomfortably in his seat and was breathing heavily and blinking furiously.

'What the fuck have you said, JJ?!!'

'I didn't mean to, Cook. It ……it just came out. I'm really sorry. I …..I ….I just panicked, I suppose……and then before I knew it, I'd blabbed it all out.'

'Fuck me, JJ. Thanks for being a really great mate. I might have known I couldn't rely on you to keep your mouth shut. What the fuck was I thinking of letting you in on it?'

'Don't blame JJ, Cook! It wasn't all his fault. We pretty much badgered him into spilling the beans.' Emily wasn't going to sit by and watch JJ take the rap for giving Cook's secret away. Cook was on the point of answering Emily when the sound of the pub door being flung upon with an almighty racket cut him short and they all looked up to see a huge, burly middle-aged guy storm into the pub, with a face like thunder, followed by a young girl with long blonde hair who seemed terrified, with good reason.

'Right, my girl. Which one is he?' he barked at the young girl who was uneasily tagging along behind him. She nervously stretched out a long delicate and shaking finger and pointed at Cook who had turned round to see what the commotion was about. As soon as Cook saw the guy with the young girl whom he had had the conversation with in the pub earlier in the day, he knew instinctively who he was.

He could have made a run for it, he supposed. He would have had a head start on the guy and could have got out of the pub via another door and legged it down the road, doubtless with the furious father of the bride not-to-be in hot pursuit. But such an idea never really entered Cook's mind. He had never run away from anything in his life before, certainly not a fight or a potentially aggressive head to head confrontation and he wasn't about to start now. If the brutal truth had to be faced, well then he would face it head on even if it meant that head stood a reasonable chance of being thoroughly kicked in.

Cook decided to stand up and admit his identity and take the consequences. 'I'm Cook,' he said and watched as the guy marched over towards him, his chiselled jaw firmly set like granite and his eyes narrowing on Cook's face as he drew ever closer to him. He got to within a foot of Cook and then, with virtually no back lift, such that not even the normally fast reflexes of Cook had time to take evasive action, he threw the biggest haymaker that anyone sitting there watching could have seen in many a long year. Cook was sent flying clean off his feet and staggered back on to the table, sending all the glasses crashing to the floor, shattering into many pieces. Thick red blood spurted out of his nose and mouth in all directions as he fell off the table and on to the floor as all the girls plus JJ screamed out loud in horror.

By the merest of coincidences at the precise moment when Cook took the full force of the punch, Effy and Freddie walked into the pub and surveyed the dramatic scene in front of them. They immediately recognised the girl who was cowering beside her father, hands covering her face, as the one who had approached Cook in the pub earlier that day and, being both bright young things capable of putting two and two together, were able to make an educated guess as to what this might be all about.

'Get up, you bastard and fight!' roared the middle-aged man, who was now standing over Cook and kicked out at him as he lay prone on the floor of the pub in a pool of blood, beer and other liquids. Freddie stepped forward bravely and instinctively to help his best mate, intending to attempt to restrain the guy but he hadn't been the first to react. Cook's uncle had moved forward on seeing the punch having been landed on his nephew and was now behind the guy, closely followed by one of his burly associates and the two of them grabbed hold of the enraged father in a vice-like grip and overpowered him before he could inflict any more damage on a still dazed and bleeding Cook.

'Okay, okay, that's enough! We don't want any more trouble kicking off in here. This is a respectable pub. If anyone's got a problem we'll talk it over nice and quietly over a pint.'

The guy shouted words of abuse and struggled like crazy to throw his restrainers off him but together Cook's uncle and his associate were too strong for him and they comfortably held him down, despite his frantic thrashings of both arms and legs.

'Cookie, get the hell out of here and take your friends with you. I'll take care of this little problem. You make yourselves scarce, do you all hear me?'

The gang slowly got to their feet, the girls' faces still white with fear and shock at the brutality of the short-lived punch up which they had just witnessed at such close quarters. Thomas and Freddie helped Cook to his feet and each put an arm round his shoulders and practically carried him out of the pub, followed by all the others. As they passed by the daughter, who hadn't said a word while all this was going on, Cook stretched out an unsteady hand and grabbed hold of her, saying, 'Come with us, whatever your name is. We need to talk, you and me. Leave him, he'll be alright.' The girl looked over towards her father who had calmed down by now and wasn't putting up much of a resistance any more and then nodded silently at Cook and went with him through the door.

As they all trooped out of the pub and into the refreshing cold evening air, Naomi turned to the others and put into words, albeit in a near whisper, the thought that was running through all their minds. 'He's got that poor girl pregnant and he doesn't even know her fucking name! Classy piece of work, Cook!'

* * *

**AUTHOR'S MESSAGE**

Once again, may I offer my thanks to all those of you who have posted reviews of the story so far. Your comments of support and encouragement are much appreciated. If you haven't yet given a review but would like to voice your opinions, positive or negative, I would be thrilled to hear from you. All criticisms are most welcome!


	9. Chapter 9: 2200 2400

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

Previously on '**Skins 24 – Valentine's Day'**: JJ experiences another uncomfortable meeting with Rob Fitch when he calls round for Katie. Emily and Katie make up after their earlier row. JJ inadvertently lets it slip about Cook having got a girl pregnant. Mrs Moon dresses up in some of Pandora's clothes and queues up to get in to the club before her daughter and Thomas arrive. Cook gets in a fight with the father of the girl he has got pregnant and the gang flee the pub while Cook's uncle restrains the father.

* * *

**Time: 22.13.38**

Mrs Moon sat back in her seat and surveyed with ever increasing wonder and an almost giddy excitement the scene playing out in front of and down below her. She had succeeded in securing for herself a table conveniently situated on a level above the huge dance floor and slightly to one side from where she had an excellent view of the entrance to the night club. From this vantage point she was counting on being able to spot Pandora when she came in but could avoid being seen or recognised by her.

She sipped at her glass of mineral water and observed with fascination the bustling activity going on below her. Although the club had only been open for little more than three quarters of an hour, and Mrs Moon knew that young people were in the habit of turning up fashionably late for everything, the dance floor was already filling up nicely. The driving, hypnotic beat of the music seemed to have lured the party crowd inexorably onto the floor as if all resistance was futile and utterly beyond their control.

Mrs Moon had already found to her surprise that her feet had started tapping to the rhythms and beat of the music which was playing so loudly that it seemed to have invaded her mind and soul. She didn't recognise any of the songs, naturally enough, and she would have loved to have asked someone if the music could be turned down a little – well, quite a lot, actually – but she knew such a request would be met with disdain and disbelief in equal measure.

There was the added complication that for the last five minutes she had been aware that a tall young man with longish dark hair and a cheeky grin, sitting with two other male friends a couple of tables away, had been glancing over towards her from time to time and smiling at her. She had ignored his attentions to be begin with and made a pointed effort not to look over in his direction. However she had found it impossible after a while to resist temptation completely and had eventually made the fatal, schoolboy (or should it be schoolgirl?) error of returning his persistent gaze and smiling back at him. After a few words to his mates he got up and slowly approached her table, sitting down next to her without waiting to be asked.

'Hi there! I'm Stuart. I'm sorry to disturb you but…..I couldn't help noticing you're sitting here all on your own.' It wasn't exactly a question but he paused long enough for Mrs Moon to reason that he was expecting some kind of an answer or explanation.

'I'm….I'm waiting for some…. friends to turn up I think I'm a bit early. But they should be here soon.' Then, anxious not to appear rude or ungrateful for his concerns for her loneliness, she added, 'Thank you for asking, anyway, but I'm fine on my own for now.'

'Okay,' he said, smiling with great charm and understanding, thought Mrs Moon, 'I'll leave you in peace. But if your friends don't turn up I hope you won't mind if I join you for a drink later?'

Mrs Moon thanked him for his offer and couldn't help give him a small smile of her own in return, a smile that was partly borne out of shyness and awkwardness but also partly out of a strange sort of tingling excitement that he had come over to talk to her, albeit briefly, when there were already so many beautiful young girls in the club he could have approached.

As she sipped at her drink some more and allowed some very unusual thoughts to pass through her mind about this very good-looking and polite young man, she almost lost concentration and focus on the purpose of her visit to such unfamiliar territory. But in the nick of time and with some reluctance she banished such uncharacteristically carnal images from her mind and turned her head back towards the entrance right at the moment when Pandora walked in to the night club with Thomas right behind her.

* * *

**Time: 22.29.27**

Jenna Fitch looked up at the number of the house and checked that this was the right place. Yes, this was it, for sure. She remembered Emily mentioning something about a yellow front door. This was where Naomi lived with her mother and the politics teacher from Roundview College who was the mother's boyfriend – and to all intents and purposes where she now lived with her daughter Emily as well.

Jenna glanced again at her watch and shook her head in a silent reproach. This was complete madness, surely, not to mention downright rude and inconsiderate? After all, who on earth turned up on some stranger's doorstep at this time of night, asking to speak to someone in the house without having given some prior warning that they would be calling? Maybe Rob was right. Maybe she was losing the plot, losing her marbles, losing all sense of reality. This was bound to be either a wasted journey – Emily wouldn't be there or would simply refuse to see her – or an unpleasant and heartbreaking scene between her and Emily which wouldn't resolve anything and would just leave her more unhappy and afraid for her daughter than ever before.

But having come all this way in the freezing cold, where was the sense in turning round and sloping off home? Better to have tried to patch things up and sort things out than not to have bothered at all. She took a deep breath, swallowed hard and slowly walked up the garden path for the front door. Once there she pressed gently with slightly shaking hand on the doorbell and waited nervously.

After a short while during which Jenna's heart began to pound away in her chest and make it slightly uncomfortable for her to even breathe, she heard the sound of voices and saw the shape of a figure come towards the door and open it. To her dismay it wasn't Emily who stood before her in the doorway. Nor was it 'that girl' either but a much older woman who looked around the same age as her and whom Jenna logically assumed to be Mrs Campbell.

'Yes? Can I help you?' asked the fair haired woman with what seemed like a genuine smile, even if she was probably more than a little surprised to see this strange woman standing on her doorstep after ten o'clock at night.

'I'm…. terribly sorry to disturb you at such a late hour,' began Jenna, haltingly, wondering if her visit could even remotely be justified, 'but I wonder if I might speak to Emily…if she's here, that is.' She didn't know why she didn't say she was Emily's mother – possibly she thought Naomi's Mum would guess who she was, thus making a formal introduction unnecessary.

'Oh, I'm sorry, love. I'm afraid Emily and Naomi are out tonight. They've gone to a club with some friends. They won't be back till quite late, I should imagine. You know what young girls are like!'

Gina gave a typically friendly grin which seemed to be inviting Jenna to join her in a light-hearted, harmless little joke at their daughters' expense. Jenna forced a weak smile to show her motherly solidarity but was hugely disappointed to learn that her visit had indeed all been in vain. She was on the point of making her excuses and leaving when Mrs Campbell suddenly said to her, 'It's Mrs Fitch, isn't it? Emily's mother?'

Jenna nodded silently but had just started to apologise for the interruption before bidding her farewell when Gina cut her short.

'Look, I've just put the kettle on. You must be freezing cold after having come all this way. Why don't you come inside and have a nice hot drink to warm you up?'

'Oh, I couldn't ….really; I've already interrupted your evening unnecessarily.'

'It's no bother at all,' cried Gina, smiling warmly and stepping aside slightly to show Jenna the way into the hall. 'You've arrived in perfect time for a nice brew.'

Jenna hesitated a few seconds more but Mrs Campbell seemed very insistent that she come in and she was so welcoming and friendly that Jenna decided it was worth a chance and so she stepped inside, smiling with grateful appreciation at being invited into the cosy warmth of the house on such a chilly winter's evening.

* * *

**Time: 22.49.18**

'Effy looks like she intends to go out on a high tonight!' shouted Naomi in Emily's ear, as the two girls stood watching the massed throng of heaving humanity on the dance floor while they took a breather and threw some more booze down their already parched throats. Effy was dancing with Freddie and already seemed well on the way to being out of it, moving suggestively and sensuously in front of him, as she took copious slugs from an unidentified plastic bottle. Then she got right up close to him, threw her arms around his neck and started to thrust her pelvis up against his groin

'It seems like it!' Emily yelled back with a rueful grimace. Effy had filled the rest of the gang in on the dramatic events of the early part of the evening on the way to the club and they had all been suitably shocked and upset for their friend who was clearly still stunned and emotional about what her mother had done.

'Do you believe her when she says there'll be no more clubbing and drinking and stuff for her?'

'I don't know. It doesn't sound like Effy but I guess after a massive shock like that, she's bound to feel things have got to change - for a while, at least.'

They fell silent again, enjoying the sounds of the music and they leaned into each other, each with an arm around the other's waist, in a very clear, no-nonsense, fuck off and leave us alone, can't you see we're together, kind of way. A few yards in front of them Pandora was dancing with Thomas or at least that's what she was supposed to be doing. What it looked more like was someone with itching powder all down the inside of her blouse and skirt, feverishly wriggling and squirming like a demented maniac, desperately trying to get rid of the unbelievably itchy sensations all over her body that were driving her nuts.

Naomi and Emily were in fits of laughter watching Panda go through her legendary unique dance moves which Thomas was bravely attempting to copy but without any realistic hope of success.

'Panda's on good form, isn't she,' giggled Emily, almost in tears of unrestrained mirth whereupon Naomi attempted a Panda-like move of her own but gave up almost immediately as Emily collapsed laughing even more. 'I think you should leave that to the experts, sweetheart,' said Emily with a wry grin and laughed as Naomi effected a mock outrage at such a put-down and pretended to turn her head away from Emily in a hissy fit..

* * *

**Time: 23.05.48**

'I see your friends haven't turned up, then,' said Stuart, smiling at Mrs Moon who had so busy concentrating on watching her daughter intently for the last half hour that she hadn't given the young man a second thought. Pandora seemed to be having a whale of a time on the dance floor with Thomas although she was totally bemused and intrigued by almost all of her dance routines which had little or nothing in common with the dances she remembered learning as a young girl.

She had spotted Pandora's best friend Effy, who had adored chocolate brownies almost as much as herself and she also thought she recognised the two twin sisters whose names she couldn't quite recall but who were exactly like each other in every way. One of the twins appeared to be almost handcuffed to the tall, blonde girl who was also at Panda's party and she couldn't work out why they were dancing with each other in such a suggestive manner – unless of course that was some new dance craze that she hadn't heard or read about in the gossip magazines that Pandora was always leaving around the house.

'I'm sorry?' Mrs Moon answered nervously as she became aware that the nice young man from earlier was talking to her again.

'You're still all on your own. Your friends have stood you up, perhaps?

'Um…. No, they're um…..well, I suppose …yes, I'm still on my own…as you can see.' Mrs Moon felt all tongue-tied and embarrassed in front of this extremely handsome young man who was very persistent with his kind attentions and concern for her welfare.

'You know, a beautiful woman such as you really shouldn't be sitting all on her own in a place like this. I've taken the liberty of buying you a drink. I hope you don't mind.' He gave her another one of his effortlessly charming smiles and put a glass of white wine in front of her on the table and sat down next to her. 'I didn't know what you liked to drink so I just got you a white wine. I hope that's okay.'

'Oh, God…I don't drink…….I mean, well…..I don't usually drink……but I suppose just this once …..it can't do me any harm, can it?'

Mrs Moon looked at the glass of wine suspiciously as if afraid it was going to bite her on the nose, then hesitantly picked up the glass, brought it to her lips, smelt it briefly before taking a small mouthful which she gently swallowed. She let out a small gasp of unexpected pleasure at the taste of the cool liquid going down her throat and smiled at Stuart.

'Ooh! That was quite nice,' she said with a tiny giggle and quickly put down the glass. 'I mustn't drink it too quickly, though. I wouldn't want to lose control of myself,' she said anxiously.

'Absolutely not,' said Stuart with a very serious expression. 'I want you to be totally sober when we get on the dance floor.'

'The…. dance floor?' stammered Mrs Moon and looked up at Stuart, not quite understanding what he was hinting at. 'You mean……you and me…..dancing together…..down there?' Mrs Moon stared at him open-mouthed, not daring to believe what he had just said to her. She couldn't remember the last time any man had asked her for a dance. 'Oh…I couldn't possibly……I wouldn't know how, really. No, thank you so much for asking but……..I just couldn't.'

'Nonsense. Of course you can. I bet you'll be absolutely sensational on the dance floor. You look like a natural dancer to me. You've certainly got the body for it. You look fantastic!'

Mrs Moon blushed furiously and prayed that the lighting was sufficiently dark for him not to have noticed. Her heartbeat had quickened noticeably ever since he had sat down next to her and she felt a strange churning sensation in her stomach which she thought might be wind but wasn't absolutely sure.

'Shall we?' he asked, standing up and holding out a hand towards her whilst maintaining a sweet smile and fixing his deep blue, kind eyes on her face. 'It would make my evening if you agreed to dance with me, really.'

Mrs Moon gasped audibly at such a generous and seemingly heartfelt compliment and was so touched by his politeness and flattery that before she quite knew what she was doing she had stood up, accepted his hand and was following him dutifully as he plotted his way past the other tables and down to the dance floor level below.

* * *

**Time: 23.20.18**

Jenna had been drinking tea and chatting to Gina and Kieran for much longer than she had intended. Her original idea had been to accept Gina's kind invitation, have a quick drink and then politely take her leave. As Emily wasn't in she couldn't see what there was to be gained from spending too much time with Naomi's mother – it was Emily she had upset and Emily who was worrying her.

But as the minutes passed by, she found she was really enjoying their company and they had swapped stories of their background, their respective jobs, their families, in fact all kinds of topics which had kept her amused and interested far more than she would have imagined possible. Jenna found she was really warming to this lovely couple who clearly were extremely compatible, far more than she and Rob, if truth be told, and who were terrific company.

'So what did you want to see Emily about, Jenna?' asked Gina in an innocent, casual voice. 'It's a shame the girls aren't in.'

'Oh, nothing much. It can wait until another time.'

Gina looked at Kieran who raised one eyebrow almost imperceptibly and she decided she would take a risk and dive head first into the deep end.

'It wasn't about that second Valentine's card that Naomi got, was it?'

Jenna's mouth fell open and for few seconds she looked like she had turned to stone, so motionless had she become, so white in the face had she turned. Then she cleared her throat, gulped a little and said in a low, soft voice, 'Oh. So you know about that, do you?'

'I heard, yes. I think Emily thought it might have been her sister, but……it wasn't, was it?'

'No. I'm afraid it was me. That's what I came here to see Emily about. I wanted to apologise. It was a stupid thing to do.'

'It was a clever idea, I'll give you that,' Kieran nodded with a smile. 'It might even have worked with another couple.'

'Jenna, why do you want to split them up? They're so happy together. What's so wrong with that?'

Jenna wasn't sure whether to stay or to run. She hadn't come for an argument, at least not with these two lovely people, but here she was being gently interrogated as to her motives for having done such a heartless thing and she was feeling suddenly very nervous and vulnerable.

'Emily's NOT gay,' she said quietly but firmly. 'I know she isn't. Now, I'm not saying your Naomi has deliberately pit ideas into her head but….well I just don't think Emily knows what she's doing right now.'

'Jenna, let me ask you something. Did you know what you were doing when you got involved in relationships when you were seventeen or eighteen? I certainly didn't. I made loads of mistakes. It takes time to find out what you want. But surely you've got to let your children find out what they like, what makes them happy. We can't go round telling them who they should be with, who they should fall in love with. They have to find out for themselves.'

'But what if……..' Jenna tried hard but couldn't get the words out.

'What if Emily finds out that she really does love Naomi and wants to spend her life with her? Well, then you'll be able to relax knowing your daughter has found someone who truly makes her happy. You fall in love with the person, don't you – not the gender. Would you rather she was with a boy who treated her badly and didn't love her like Naomi does?'

'I…..don't know. I ….just don't know!' Jenna had her head in her hands and was on the point of bursting into tears when Kieran stood up and said in his unfailingly cheerful Irish accent, 'You know, I think it might be the right time for us to move onto something a little stronger than tea.'

* * *

**Time: 23.46.54**

JJ was dancing unconvincingly with Katie whilst looking around the dance floor and the club in general for any sins of Mary. He was trying to do it as surreptitiously as possible as he didn't want to hurt Katie's feelings in any way. He liked her, of course, she was a friend but above all, she was Emily's sister and he liked Emily so much he would happily be Katie's date for the night if it made Emily happy. But the girl he really wished he was dancing with right then, or rather the girl he really wanted to be laughing her head off at his feeble and ridiculous attempts to look cool on the dance floor was Mary, not Katie.

Katie had been very sweet so fat that evening but he had been hoping, no he had been expecting for her to have been picked up by some fit hunk by now, thus leaving him free to track down Mary who had promised him she would be coming tonight. But as yet, there was sadly no sign of the sweet, shy girl who had made such an impression on him that morning.

Suddenly he felt a heavy tap on his shoulder and when he turned round it was to find a huge guy, probably at least six foot tall, with muscles like they were going out of fashion, staring at him, not aggressively but forcefully. For one split second JJ was terrified that he had accidentally stepped on his toes or spilled his drink or something and that the guy was planning on giving him a right good kicking. But no, it was music to his ears.

'Do you mind if I dance with your friend, mate? I think someone you know wants us to swap partners for a while.'

JJ looked round, baffled and confused and instinctively looked over to where he could see most of the rest of the gang were dancing but none of them seemed to be looking over in his direction or paying him and Katie the slightest attention. Nevertheless JJ didn't put up any protest and graciously stepped back to allow the Incredible Hunk to move in on Katie and take his place. Unsurprisingly, on seeing the impressively physical specimen whom JJ had seemingly morphed into, Katie turned on the full works, smile, pout, eye-fluttering, giggle – in short, she went into overdrive and melted up against the guy's muscular body as if she was being pulled over by strings.

JJ smiled, shrugged his shoulders and had turned round to go back and join the others when he felt another tap on his back. This time when he turned round it was to find a smiling Mary looking at him.

'Mary! I've been looking all over for you. Where've you been?' said JJ, overjoyed and not bothering to play it cool by hiding it.

'I've been here, watching you. But first I had to get you away from Katie. It seems to have worked, don't you think?' She nodded in the direction of Katie and the Hunk and giggled infectiously.

'Was that down to you?' laughed JJ, seriously impressed at Mary's ingenuity and boldness.

'Sure was, JJ. Now are you going to dance with me or have I got to ask you?'


	10. Chapter 10: 0000 0200

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

Previously on '**Skins 24 – Valentine's Day'**: Mrs Moon is chatted up in the night club by a young guy who buys her a drink and persuades her to dance with him. Jenna goes round to Naomi's house to speak to Emily, is invited in by Gina and they end up discussing their daughters' relationship. Emily and Naomi are in fits of laughter watching Pandora dancing with Thomas. Mary turns up at the club and manages to get JJ away from Katie by arranging for a fit, muscular guy to ask Katie for a dance.

* * *

**Time: 00.10.43**

Mrs Moon followed Stuart hand in hand back to their table laughing and giggling like some silly schoolgirl. She didn't know whether it was that second glass of wine she'd drunk or just the whole giddy, charged up atmosphere of the night club but she couldn't remember when she'd last felt this excited and happy. This gorgeous looking young man who had been throwing her around the dance floor and paying her unheard of compliments for the last hour seemed to have got her completely under his spell.

Of course she was still terrified of being seen by Pandora and Thomas, or even any of their friends, which was why she was careful to stay right on the fringes of the dance floor, well away from her daughter who was strutting her stuff in the massed ranks of the party revellers on the other side of the room. As she threw herself down into her seat she eagerly gulped down another mouthful of wine to clear her throat which had been getting hoarse with all the singing along to the music she'd been doing.

'What on earth made you come over and start talking to me, Stuart?' She had been dying to ask him this question ever since their first hesitant conversation and now she felt sufficiently relaxed and comfortable with him to put it to him. 'I mean, I'm not exactly your type, am I?'

'Why do you think that?' he replied, taking a long, thirsty drink from his glass and leaning back in his seat to contemplate Mrs Moon closely.

'Oh, come on! I'm not like the other girls here, am I? I don't suppose I've fooled you for one moment.'

'Well, okay, I can see you're not a teenager. But you're hardly over the hill either, are you? Besides, I like older women. They're so much more interesting than most of the girls my age that I meet. They know so much more, if you get my drift, and they've usually got a story to tell also. A lot of the girls here can't even string two sentences together.'

Mrs Moon smiled and blushed slightly. 'Well I think you've made a bad choice with me tonight. I haven't got much experience of men and I certainly haven't got an interesting story to tell. Far from it, I'm afraid. I'm really quite dull.'

'No you aren't,' said Stuart, leaning forward and taking her hands in his, sending a ripple of unaccustomed excitement up her spine and causing her to look down at the table in a bid to conceal the thrill that his touch was increasingly giving her. 'To start with, I'd love to know what brought you here tonight. I haven't seen you here before so this must be your first time. You must have had a really good reason for coming here.'

Mrs Moon deliberated for a few seconds if she should tell him the whole story, only part of it or whether to make something up. In the end she couldn't bring herself to lie to this nice young man who had been so kind to her and fun to be with so she decided to take her life in her hands and just go for it.

'I wanted to see what my daughter and her……young man were up to.'

'You've got a daughter? I can hardly believe that. You don't look old enough!' It was a corny old line, he knew, but it often worked and in any case on this occasion it happened to be true.

'Stop it!' giggled Mrs Moon, well aware that he was flattering her but liking it enormously just the same. She continued with her explanation for her bizarre appearance in the club.

'She's been seeing this boy behind my back for some time, you see, but I gave them permission to come here tonight. Only, I wanted to…….check up on them, I suppose…….make sure she wasn't doing anything bad, you know……….'

'Like what?' said Stuart, intrigued and surprised that the shy, nervous woman sitting opposite him whom he had genuinely found delightful company that evening, could be so bold and determined as to dress up in her daughter's clothes (that gear couldn't be her own, surely, he thought) and go and spy on her in a night club which was clearly so far out of her normal comfort zone. He was impressed.

'Well, terrible things like drugs…..or alcohol……or …..' she turned bright red in the face as she visibly struggled for a while to say the word which as a rule she would never utter out loud, especially when talking about Pandora. Fortunately Stuart came to her assistance, reading her mind very easily. 'Sex?' he whispered, looking straight into her eyes and tightening ever so slightly the hold he had on her trembling hands.

'Yes, please.' The words shot out of her mouth before she could stop herself and she gave a gasp of embarrassment, almost a scream in fact, and shot her hands up to the cheeks of her face in abject horror at what she had just said. 'I didn't mean that! I can't think what came over me! I'm sorry, I'm so…………'

'Hey, relax, will you? It's fine. I know that slipped out by accident. Calm down. Let's have another drink, shall we, to settle our nerves, eh?'

Mrs Moon nodded silently, terrified to open her mouth and say another word now in case she out her foot in it and made a complete fool of herself one more time.

* * *

**Time: 00.25.16**

Emily and Naomi were having a fabulous time on the dance floor, throwing themselves around in complete abandon, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the massed ranks of teenage maelstrom all around them. They were pressed hard against one another, grinding away for all they were worth before suddenly releasing and doing their own little solo fling before coming back to each other for more close-up work. They only had eyes for one another when they were dancing, blotting out everyone else and focussing solely on their own little dream world which they alone inhabited.

They had long since shrugged off any nerves or reservations they may once have had about displaying their feelings for each other in public – besides, here in this club, which was a favourite haunt of theirs and the rest of the gang, nobody gave a toss, no-one batted an eyelid at the sight of two girls dancing so intimately together, with their hands all over each other. Even if they hadn't been such familiar faces to most of the regular party crowd their passionate embraces, movements and attentions wouldn't have caused so much as a ripple of disapproval or outrage. They had always felt among friends here, accepted for who they were, not what they might represent.

As the record they had been so frenetically and suggestively dancing to came to an end, they looked at each other, exchanged silent nods and made their way out of the crowd and back to their drinks at the side of the floor.

'Who's that girl JJ's dancing with?' asked Naomi, amused to see their normally terribly shy friend who was famously diffident and unsure with girls looking so relaxed and at ease with this strange young girl that none of them had seen before.

'No idea,' replied Emily as she swept back her sweat-stained hair from her face and took a large gulp from her drink to cool herself down. 'All I know is that one minute he was dancing with Katie and looking very awkward and uncomfortable trying to keep up with her and the next she had moved on to some huge muscle man and he was dancing with this new girl.'

'Do you think he's pulled, then?' laughed Naomi in astonishment. That would be a first, she thought, assuming you didn't count his one night with Emily which you certainly DIDN'T, in her opinion – that was a completely different 'one-off'.

'I don't know. I _really _hope so. He so needs a girlfriend to help him come out of his shell. He needs to get more confidence to stand up to people like Cook and tell them not to jerk him around. Having a girlfriend would be a huge thing for him.' The genuine concern in Emily's voice told of her deep affection for JJ and her long held desire for him to grow as a person and become more confident and comfortable with who he was, just like she had done over the last six months or so.

'Hey, look at this now. He's bringing her over. Maybe he's going to introduce us to her.'

'Perhaps he's looking for us to give our approval.'

'What, like taking her home to meet the parents?' Naomi pulled a face at Emily, aghast at the image that JJ might see Emily and her as his surrogate parents. 'Jesus, please say it's not like that. I don't think I could handle the responsibility of looking after JJ.'

Emily giggled at Naomi's obvious discomfort at the idea of being a Mum to JJ and gently took hold of her hand and kissed it lightly. 'Don't worry, gorgeous_, I'll_ be his second Mum if he really needs one. You can just be a kind of distant aunt, if you like.'

'Oh, thanks a bunch! That makes me sound like some sad old shrivelled up hag with no friends and no life at all!'

'Hi guys!' said JJ beaming all over his flushed, sweat-filled face as he and Mary interrupted their conversation. 'I want you to meet Mary. I met her at the water park this morning and we arranged to meet up again tonight here. Mary, this is Emily and Naomi, two of my closest friends from college.'

The girls exchanged greetings and Naomi shot a sly, wicked glance at JJ before giving in to the urge to make a telling remark about Katie's rapid disappearing act from JJ's half-hearted clutches.

'So have you dumped poor Katie already, JJ? Not that I blame you, of course. Mary seems **so** much nicer.'

'Um, not exactly,' said JJ, not quite sure how to answer that one. He didn't want to say anything bad that might upset Emily. 'I mean, we weren't going out together, really, were we? I just brought her here so she wouldn't have to turn up on her own.'

'That was my doing, palming off Katie on to some other guy. I wanted to have JJ all to myself,' explained Mary, smiling shyly at Emily and Naomi who smiled back at her.

'Sweet!!' said both girls in perfect harmony and all four of them burst out laughing at the touching way the couple were of one mind and one voice.

'So, are you two going out together?' asked Naomi, looking at them with barely concealed anticipation and curiosity.

'Um…..I…..I don't know……' said JJ, clearly thrown by such a typically direct question from the tall blonde. 'Are we?' he asked, turning to Mary and looking at her with much uncertainty, metaphorically crossing his fingers behind his back.

'Oh, I think so, JJ,' said Mary, casually slipping a hand into his. 'Definitely!' and JJ's face lit up like a beacon into the widest of smiles on hearing his hopes confirmed.

* * *

**Time: 00.51.27**

Jenna looked at her watch and almost fell off her chair in astonishment. She had completely lost track of the time and had no idea it had got quite so late. Probably the couple of whiskies she had been offered by Kieran to calm herself down and 'keep me company' as he had cheerfully and very persuasively put it had had some effect on her ability to keep track of time, she thought. Plus, the emotional nature of their conversation had left her drained, confused and utterly disorientated. She apologised for having kept them up so late – 'there's no need to apologise, we never go to bed early in this house,' Gina had reassured her, and got up to go.

'I'm so glad we had this chat,' said Gina warmly as she accompanied Jenna to the front door, after motioning to Kieran to stay where he was in his comfy chair, seeing that he was already half asleep anyway. 'I've been worried about Emily staying over here so much. Not that I mind her staying here, far from it, she's adorable, but I've been worried that she's been feeling ostracised from her home and her family and I wouldn't want that to happen.'

'I'm glad we talked as well. It's made me feel much better. I think I can see things a little differently now. Maybe I _will_ take your advice and invite Naomi round one evening for dinner with the family. I guess it's about time they all got to meet her, if she and Emily are……………well, you know….such close friends.'

Gina had to suppress with some difficulty a smile and a slight giggle – Jenna still couldn't quite bring herself to say the words 'lovers' or 'girlfriends'. They still clearly were getting stuck in her throat and wouldn't come out yet. Oh well, give her time, she said to herself, this must be all very new to her and she's still trying to get her head around it.

'I think that would be a great place to start,' she said nodding encouragingly. 'I'll speak to both the girls tomorrow and encourage Naomi to accept the invitation. Do you have any message you'd like me to give to Emily?'

'Just tell her I'm so sorry about the card and could she please call me some time tomorrow morning after she gets up?'

'Better make that tomorrow afternoon,' pointed out Gina with a wry grin. 'They'll be sleeping off tonight's excesses all morning, I shouldn't wonder.'

_But not in separate beds, _fretted Jenna, shaking her head imperceptibly as she walked down the garden path and headed for home.

* * *

**Time: 01.14.53**

Cook lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply on it and puffed the smoke defiantly into the cold early morning air. He had come outside for some peace and quiet, a bit of personal space to think and breathe, away from the mind-numbing intensity of the pounding music and the senseless, trivial chatter of the people around him. He had intended to get rat-arsed that evening but somehow he had found that his heart just wasn't in it. Unusually for him, such a simple exercise which he would normally pull off effortlessly without even having to try was proving to be beyond him.

He didn't know what had happened to the girl – he hadn't clapped eyes on her for an hour or more, although she had agreed to join him and the others in the club. Cook presumed that she was more worried about hanging around on the streets and being seen by her irate father than she had any particular desire to drown her sorrows in a dancing and boozing blitz. They had spoken briefly about their situation to begin with but her mind was still made up – she wanted rid of the baby and she expected Cook to do his duty and stump up the cash for the abortion. He had begged her to change her mind, without being able to put forward a single convincing reason for her to keep the baby other than it was HIS child and she didn't have the right to take it away from him. They had exchanged words, most of them foul and abusive, and she had stormed off fuck knows where and he had seen neither hide nor hair of her since.

He puffed furiously on his cigarette, reflecting his mood and the inner turmoil that was threatening to engulf him and swallow him whole. A few other people were standing outside like him having a fag break but they were largely couples who were too wrapped up in each other to pay him much attention. Anyone who did show him any interest was met with a typical Cook scowl that shouted out 'Fuck off! Back off unless you want a smack.'

He finished his cigarette and threw the butt aimlessly on to the ground but felt no great desire to return inside – he didn't feel there wasn't anything in there for him. So he just sat down on a ledge and stared off into the distance, wishing time had stood still and that it was still twenty-four hours ago when life was grand and he didn't have a care in the world. The sound of a pair of familiar voices dragged him out of his pointless reveries and back to grim reality.

'Cook! Are you okay?' Freddie and Effy were walking towards him, cigarettes in hand, having come outside with the same purpose in mind and spotted their mate sitting on his own.

'Sweet. Never better, guys.' Cook lied, not even bothering to look up at them for more than a second or two before resuming his long distance navel-gazing. Effy and Freddie exchanged glances and went to sit down alongside him, huddling up against each other for warmth.

'What the hell are you going to do, man?' asked Freddie after a brief silence.

'Fuck knows, Freds. There ain't much I can do, is there? '

'Have you spoken to the girl?' Effy's soft, hushed tones at least made Cook look up and meet her gaze even if there was no hint of any spark of hope in his eyes.

'Oh yeah, I've spoken to her, alright.'

'And?' the couple persisted with their enquiries in unison.

'She doesn't want to know, does she? She says she doesn't want to fuck up her life by having a baby at sixteen. She says what would be the point seeing as I wouldn't be interested in hanging around to be a father for more than five minutes.'

'Cook, you know she's right, don't you? However much you might hate the idea of getting rid of it, a kid's the last thing you need in your life right now. Surely you can see that?' Freddie had decided that if the truth was going to hurt, then so be it. He wasn't going to give Cook what he wanted to hear just because they were best mates.

'So tell me. Freds, what do I need in my life right now? What have I got at the moment that's worth anything?'

'You've got all of us,' said Effy and she laid a hesitant hand on his arm as if to reassure him that she was speaking from the heart. 'You've got your friends.

'Oh yeah, I forgot. Friends who screw each other up. Friends who take away from you the only thing that was worth having. Yeah, right. How could I walk away from them?'

'Oh, well if you're going to bang on about that again, then what's the point,' said Freddie, angrily getting to his feet and giving Cook a withering look which spoke of contempt for his general attitude as much as it did of pity at his unenviable circumstances.

'Cook, come inside with us. Come back and join the rest of the gang. They're concerned for you, you know. Sitting out here on your own feeling sorry for yourself won't do you any good. For fuck's sake, I've seen what can happen if you do!'

Cook looked up at an anguished Effy and read in her eyes the genuine anxiety and pain she was feeling, not just for him but for her mother too. This sudden, sharp reminder that there was someone else he knew who was worse off than him seemed to jolt him out of his self-pity and depression. He got up, snatched what was left of a cigarette out of Freddie's mouth, puffed on it a couple of times and then chucked away the butt end. Both Effy and Freddie smiled ruefully at the first sight of the old Cook for some considerable time and the three of them trudged wearily back towards the side door of the club.

'Come on then, campers. The night's still young, I guess. Anything can still happen.'

* * *

**Time: 01.40.28**

JJ and Mary, Emily and Naomi and Pandora and Thomas were all huddled together in a group, taking a much needed breather, taking in some fluids and wiping the perspiration off their brows. They had all been giving it some serious welly on the dance floor and were now enjoying taking a short break and watching Katie in full flow, turning on the charm and wrapping her new victim around her little finger.

'The words spider and web come to mind, don't they?' said Naomi, laughing and the others nodded, appreciating the analogy. Katie had certainly got the poor bastard in her sights and was intent on luring him in to her deftly spun web to meet his inevitable fate. He was like putty in her hands as she wriggled her slight but perfectly proportioned body all along his tall frame, shaking her chest unashamedly and wiggling her arse back and forth against his groin while he lapped it up with a huge grin on his face. His luck was in that night and he knew it and he wasn't going to do a damn thing to stop it.

Suddenly in amidst the pulsating, heaving mass of dancing teenagers, there rose up an almighty raucous cheer, followed by a crescendo of laughter and the gang all instinctively looked over towards the source of the noise to see what was going on. All they could make out from where they were standing was that someone, clearly in considerable distress, seemed to be attempting to plough an unlikely furrow through the teeming mass of humanity. They watched, mildly curious and amused, as this person, who they could make out was a girl as she got nearer to them, was barging her way through and past everyone in her path as she lurched with ever increasing desperation towards the safety of the edge of the dance floor. She appeared to be hotly pursued by some guy who was trying to help her to get out of the crowd and it didn't take much guesswork to work out that this girl was trying to head for the toilets near to the entrance before she presumably threw up all over the floor.

The gang smiled and giggled in typical show of disrespect for a fellow party reveller in distress and eagerly waited to see if she was going to make it to the ladies in time. Sadly it was not to be, despite her emerging finally from the tightly packed crowd on the dance floor, As she frantically ran over towards the toilets, she tripped up in her unseemly haste and fell on her hands and knees, right in front of the gang who observed with a mixture of sympathy and embarrassment on her behalf as she proceeded to vomit copiously and gloriously all over the floor, making hugely off-putting chuntering sounds as she did so.

A hush had fallen on the gang as they now saw that this had gone beyond a laughing matter and the girl was clearly in need of help to get her up on her feet and guide her towards the sanctuary of the ladies where she could recover her poise and dignity in relative peace. Ever the Good Samaritan, Pandora was the first to step forward, despite wrinkling her nose in distaste at the sight and smell of the technicolour yawn on the floor beside the poor girl and knelt down to come to her assistance. She reached out a hand towards the poor unfortunate and said, 'You poor thing! Are you okay? Here, take my hand and I'll help you over to the toilets.'

The sickly girl, who had been hunched over the floor, her face hidden from view, while she was throwing up, now slowly raised her head to look up at Pandora in gratitude for the sound of a friendly voice at a time of great need and vulnerability. As she tried to focus on the face of her kind saviour, she heard a shriek of disbelief and she stared hard at the girl who had just knelt down beside her.

'MUM!!' screamed Pandora in utter astonishment, stunned to see the unmistakeable face of her mother looking up at her with a glazed, frozen expression which told of a person totally out of control of her senses and completely appalled at the sight of her embarrassed daughter looking down at her in obvious bewilderment.


	11. Chapter 11: 0200 0400

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

Previously on '**Skins 24 – Valentine's Day'**: JJ introduces Mary to Emily and Naomi in the club and Mary confirms that she and JJ ARE going out together. Effy and Freddie try to persuade Cook that having a baby is not what he needs in his life right then. Jenna leaves Gina's house having resolved at least to give Emily and Naomi a chance to convince her about their relationship. Pandora's Mum, Angela, gets wasted on white wine and ends up throwing up in front of a shocked Pandora and the gang.

* * *

**Time: 02.10.24**

Pandora and Effy were still attending to Mrs Moon almost half an hour after they had helped her to get up off the dance floor and taken her to the sanctuary of the ladies toilet. She had thrown up for the second time as soon as she had got inside although mercifully this time she had at least managed to be sick down the lavatory bowl, with her daughter on hand to comfort her and, most importantly, to hold her hair back and away from the projectile vomiting.

Mrs Moon had stopped vomiting now and was leaning, still rather unsteadily and with no less a feeling of embarrassment and shame, against the washbasin unit while Panda and Effy wiped her face with tissues and cleaned up any remains of vomit from her clothes.

'Oh Mum! I really liked this top! It's practically ruined now,' said Panda as she looked at her Mum totally nonplussed.

'Are you feeling a bit better now, Angela?' asked Effy, nudging Panda in a bid to stop her from making her Mum feel any worse about her situation than she already clearly was. 'There can't be anything more to bring up now, can there? How many drinks did you have?'

'I don't know, Effy. Too many. I should never have let Stuart buy me a drink in the first place.'

Pandora and Effy exchanged puzzled glances. 'Who's Stuart, Mum?'

'Oh, no-one. Just some man I got talking to earlier on, that's all.'

Effy stifled a laugh and smiled furtively at Pandora who looked stunned to find that her mother, who had always been so strict with her about boys, alcohol, drugs and just about everything else that a teenage daughter might dabble in from time to time to give her life some meaning and purpose, had got chatted up by some complete stranger who had proceeded to get her completely pissed out of her brain. If that wasn't bad enough, for her Mum to then throw up unceremoniously at her feet in front of all her friends was just the bloody limit. She had never felt so embarrassed before.

'Is he a tall, good-looking guy with dark hair?' asked Effy to which Angela nodded, albeit reluctantly and without looking her gobsmacked daughter in the face. 'I think he was the guy who helped us get your Mum up off the floor,' she whispered to Panda while Angela concentrated her mind on improving the state of her face in the mirror.

'Mum, Ef and I are going back to the others. You just take your time in here and come out when you're ready, okay? We'll be hanging around just inside the entrance, yeah?'

'Okay, dear. I feel much better now. I won't be long, I promise.' Angela smiled weakly at the two girls who patted her on the arm in reassurance that everything was fine before leaving her to compose herself in peace.

* * *

The girls joined the rest of the gang who were getting in another round of drinks while they anxiously and impatiently waited for news of what the hell was going down with Pandora's Mum. It had been the hot topic of conversation ever since Mrs Moon's impressive floorshow had almost brought the party to a temporary halt.

'So, how's your Mum, Panda? And what the fuck was she doing here?' asked Naomi, getting straight to the point.

'She's better, thanks. I don't know what she's doing here, she wouldn't say. It's totally bonkers! She hates night clubs and loud music. She's always said any place where people drink alcohol, take drugs and lose control of themselves is, like, the work of the devil. What the bloomin' heck is she doing here?'

'I reckon she was checking up on you and Thomas, Panda,' said Effy with a knowing grin. Effy had already worked out what Angela's plan must have been – it was glaringly obvious and logical to her sharp mind. 'She must have borrowed some of your clothes after you'd left and got here before us so she could find somewhere to hide and watch you without you knowing she was here.'

The others all murmured their agreement with Effy's succinct analysis of the situation. 'Wow! She's one crazy woman,' said Naomi, shaking her head in disbelief.

'It would have worked too if she hadn't got completely blotto,' laughed Emily. 'I mean, she must have been watching us all this time and we didn't have a clue she was here.'

'Shit! What the hell happens now with me and Thommo?' asked a worried sick Panda who could see her relationship with her boyfriend going down the pan with all her Mum's vomit.

'Hey, Panda, think about it. It's all good news. Look, how can your Mum stop you going out clubbing with Thomas and the rest of us in future when she's been here herself? It would be total double standards if she did that. You're off the hook!'

Pandora's face lit up on hearing Naomi's well reasoned argument. 'Do you really think so, guys?' They all nodded reassuringly and Panda let out a high-pitched squeal of delight and wrapped her arms around Thomas who was grinning equally broadly at the thought that they might be let off the hook. As the gang were all celebrating Panda and Tomas's stroke of good fortune by raising their glasses to the happy couple, Stuart intervened with an anxious look on his face and addressed Pandora directly.

'Excuse me, but am I right in thinking that Angela is your Mother?'

'Um, yeah,' replied a suspicious Pandora. 'Are you Stuart? She mentioned your name in the toilet.'

'Yes, I am,' answered a sheepish-looking Stuart, casting a nervous glance around the rest of the group who were all staring at him with enormous interest and curiosity. So this was Panda's Mum's mystery man! The guy who had got her totally rat-arsed! 'Is she okay? I was really worried about her.'

'She'll be fine. She'll be out in a minute if you want a word with her,' said Effy mischievously, frowning furiously at Panda as she was about to protest at Effy's invitation to Stuart to hang around for her mother.

'No, it's okay. I'm sure she would rather her daughter took care of her now after all that's happened tonight. I just wanted to ask if you would pass this note on to her later.'

'What is it?' asked Pandora cautiously, more than a bit suspicious of the motives of this strange guy who had got her mother blind drunk and who wasn't much older than she was.

'No problem,' said Effy, grabbing the note from his hand and handing it quickly to her best mate.' We'll see that Angela gets it, don't worry.' Stuart smiled at Effy and an open-mouthed Pandora in relief and took his leave, disappearing off into the crowd

'Effy! What the fuck are you doing agreeing to that?' shouted a confused Pandora.

'Panda, chill out, it's okay,' said a smiling Effy who opened up the piece of paper, quickly read the message and grinned broadly. 'Just as I thought. He's asked to see her again and given her his telephone number. Perfect!'

The rest of the gang fell about laughing whilst a baffled Pandora looked at them all, totally failing to see what there was to laugh about. 'Why are you all laughing? It's not funny. What's so perfect about that?'

'Oh come on, Panda,' smiled Effy, putting her arm round a perplexed and sullen Panda's shoulders. 'Don't you see? If your Mum's got herself a fella, she can't very well stop you and Thomas seeing each other, can she? If she gets totally wrapped up in this Stuart guy, then she won't have time to be checking up on you two all the time, will she? It's the perfect solution for you both!'

* * *

**Time: 02.40.48**

'Come on, gorgeous,' said Naomi to a now yawning Emily after she had drained the remains of her glass. 'Shall we hit the road?'

'Yeah, time for bed.'

'Said Zebedee,' added Naomi with a smile, recalling from her dim and distant childhood the infamous catch phrase of the character from The Magic Roundabout.

'Boing,' responded Emily in kind whereupon both girls collapsed into fits of laughter, as much out of tiredness as of appreciation of their shared sense of humour. They said goodbye to the rest of the gang, remembering to instruct Effy to let them know as soon as she had any news on Anthea being allowed to go home from hospital, and slowly made their way outside, staggering only a little and covering up any wayward movement by holding on tightly to each other for support.

They decided to get a taxi home rather than walk in the freezing cold and so a minute or two later they had bundled into a cab, still giggling and sniggering, and were on their way back to Naomi's, cuddling up in the back seat for warmth, or at least that's what the taxi driver thought. A short snatch of conversation later disabused him of that notion of two innocent friends keeping each other warm on a cold night.

'Do you realise it's nearly the end of the most romantic day of the year and we haven't had sex _once_ today?' Naomi grinned, indicating to Emily the cab driver in the front with a furtive movement of her wickedly gleaming eyes.

'Jesus! You're right. How did that happen? That must be why I'm so fucking horny right now.'

Emily was quick to enter into the spirit of Naomi's harmless piss-taking at the poor driver's expense and they could tell their opening exchanges must have registered with the guy by the sudden swerve that the car made. He had obviously taken his eyes off the road for a few seconds to stare open-mouthed in disbelief into his mirror at the girls (typical pervy male sexual obsession, thought Naomi) and had to correct his position with a sudden, frantic manoeuvre.

The two girls collapsed into a renewed fit of hysterical giggles which lasted almost the whole of the journey home. They couldn't resist building on their opening salvos by making a huge show of trying to snog the face off each other on the back seat, each taking it in turn to pretend to force herself on the other, whilst being rebuffed by realistically acted-out protests of disgust and revulsion. By the time the taxi finally pulled up outside Naomi's house the cab driver must have either been reduced to a quivering, throbbing wreck, badly in need of a cold shower or must have been totally confused as to whether he had a pair of raving lesbians in the back seat of his car or not.

* * *

**Time: 03.18.36**

It only took JJ about half an hour to walk Mary home. He had thought briefly about sharing a cab with her but there was something indefinably romantic and gentlemanly about walking a girl home after a date, to his old-fashioned, stylised perception of life, that he dismissed the notion and suggested he walk her home, even though she lived a fair way from his own house. Mary eagerly took up his offer and so off they plodded, arm in arm into the cold early morning air. The biting chill of the wind as it whistled around his ears hardly registered with JJ, so wrapped up was he with the excitement of having a girl on his arm for the first time in his short life.

'This has been quite an eventful day,' he said, smiling confidently at her. 'I woke up this morning dreading it but it's turned out to be one of the best days of my life.'

'Why were you dreading it?' asked Mary, returning his smile and squeezing his arm just enough to encourage him to continue with his story and not hold back on his hitherto privately held fears and thoughts.

'Well,…..I know this makes me sound like a complete wimp, but…..I've never had a girlfriend before……not a proper one, you know, and I was kind of dreading today because…well, all the others have got someone to share this special day with them.'

'But you've got someone to share things with now, though, haven't you, JJ?' said Mary, leaning into the young lad even closer, so that JJ could feel her sweet, warm breath and her perfume in his nostrils. He sniffed hard, trying to draw in every drop of her sweet-smelling aromas, and blinked at her shyly, hardly daring to believe in this yearned for but so unexpected change in his love life.

'Did you really mean what you said to the girls in the club? You really do want us to…..like, go out together?'

Mary gave him a huge, adoring smile, leaned her head into his nervously twitching face and softly kissed him on his exposed cheek. 'I sure do, JJ. Unless, of course, you can think of a good reason why I shouldn't.'

'Oh…well, plenty, actually… if you really want to know. I mean, I'm highly strung, I take medication to keep my mood swings under control, I'm a bit of a nerd, really….not the slightest bit cool, unlike the rest of the gang, you know. I'm, like, good at stuff that no-one else cares about being good at, like college studies and magic tricks and all sorts of weird shit like that. I'm just a bit…. different from everyone else, I suppose.'

'Oh well, that explains it!' said Mary with a cry of triumph and self-satisfaction.

'Explains what?' JJ asked, unsure how to take that remark and stopping dead in his tracks and turning to face Mary head on.

'Why I liked you almost from the moment I saw you, silly' she said, giggling at the nervous expression etched all over his face. 'I wouldn't want you any other way, JJ. Why be like everyone else when you can be so wonderfully, uniquely different like you?'

JJ grinned from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat at getting such a resounding seal of approval from Mary and he took her hand in his with more boldness and confidence than he would have ever imagined himself capable of as they continued walking back to her house. Five minutes later Mary came to a halt and announced the end of their journey.

'We're here, JJ. This is where I get off.'

'Okay, he said, disappointed and frustrated that she couldn't have lived much further away so that he could have carried on walking with her all night. 'So…when can I see you again, Mary?' He looked full of hope and expectation into her eyes as he held both her hands gently and bit his lip as he waited for an answer.

'Well, I don't know about you but I don't think I can wait any longer than…..shall we say…… tomorrow, to see you again?'

JJ broke out into another huge smile of relief which was soon to be replaced by something far more heart-stopping, infinitely more exciting, than even he could have imagined. Mary moved right up against him, gently put her arms around his neck and slowly and sensuously kissed him full-on, her lips initially softly pecking, then massaging his until they eventually parted after barely a token protest just enough for her to plunge her moist tongue into his quivering mouth and slowly play with his own tongue. This must have lasted no more than twenty seconds but to JJ it seemed like time had suddenly stood still and he and Mary had been frozen in a passionate, timeless embrace while the rest of the world just went about its humdrum business.

'Wow!' he gasped when they both came up for air. 'Can we do that again tomorrow?'

* * *

**Time: 03.42.17**

Effy put her key into the lock, opened the front door and passed inside, quickly followed by Freddie whom she had asked to come over and spend the night with her at home. She didn't want to be all on her own in the house that night. She couldn't bear the thought of it in fact and would have happily kipped over at his place, even in his shed at a push, if he hadn't so eagerly and readily agreed to her suggestion.

As they moved into the house, turning on a few lights and making for the kitchen to get a drink of water to quench the onset of dehydration after an evening's relentless boozing and dancing, Effy realised she was feeling incredibly horny and turned on. She didn't know if it was anything to do with the draining, stressful day she had experienced or whether there was something more to it than that.

Of course it might have been a natural reaction to the memory she still had freshly echoing in her head of Katie noisily banging away with her new muscle man in the cubicle of the ladies when she had popped in for a last minute pee before leaving the club. Such a vision and sounds of frenzied, breathless coupling, in the most romantic of settings as only Katie knew how to engineer, was bound to have some kind of effect after such an emotionally draining day.

Whatever the reason – and frankly, what did it matter, anyway - Effy was ready for sex, right there, right then. But it wasn't her usual type of sex that she found herself desperately craving as she led Freddie up the stairs without a word. She wasn't in the mood for a long, slow, carefully built up explosion of passion and desire.

No, what she wanted was something much more animalistic, far more primitive, and possibly even primeval in its conception. She needed immediate satisfaction of overwhelming sexual needs. She didn't want anything romantic, not a thing of tenderness and beauty or a sweet exchange of deeply felt emotions and hidden depths of feelings. She wanted something savage and brutal that would satisfy and take away the dangerous edge that she was feeling right then. She wanted to be in control and dictate the terms of this much needed sexual encounter and fortunately Freddie was very unlikely to put up much resistance.

She dragged the tall lad unceremoniously by the hand into her bedroom and slammed the door shut behind them, not bothering to turn any lights on. She wanted the pitch darkness of the room to match and blend effortlessly with the darkness of her mood. Freddie started to try to say something, presumably not any words of protest, but she cut him short by slowly shaking her head and placing a finger on his lips to counsel silence.

She firmly pushed him backwards onto the bed, which was no mean feat as he was a tall, strong guy, and got on top of him, sitting astride his legs. She then proceeded to roughly pull off his jumper and T-shirt to leave him naked from the waist up, after which she did likewise, not bothering to tease and tantalise him with a slow, even half-hearted night club-style, strip-tease. She didn't want to lose the moment, didn't want her dark, dangerous mood to subside and force her to start all over again with a totally different approach.

She moved on to the lower half of his body, rapidly and skilfully removing first his belt and then his trousers, brushing away his attempts to help her with the task. No, his job was just to lie and take it all, to let her be totally in control for once. Once she had got him stark naked, she ripped off the rest of her clothes, threw them randomly onto the floor to join Freddie's and stared at him, both stark naked and trembling with nervous anticipation about what was to come next.

She looked down at the area of his groin and saw with quiet satisfaction that he had already risen to the challenge she had set him and was primed and ready for action.

Her light-headedness, that almost indescribable, giddy sensation that wielding supreme power and control inevitably bestows on its recipient, had totally invaded her mind and body and was urging her on to express herself, explore herself in a manner that she had never felt before.

'Happy Valentine's Day, Freddie. I'm going to fuck your brains out!'


	12. Chapter 12: 0400 0600 The Conclusion

**AUTHOR'S FOREWORD**

Previously on '**Skins 24 – Valentine's Day'**: While Angela cleans herself up in the ladies after throwing up in the club, Stuart asks Pandora to give her Mum a note containing his phone number. Emily and Naomi deliberately embarrass the cab driver taking them back home to Naomi's. JJ walks Mary to her house where they kiss properly for the first time and agree to see each other the next day. Effy and Freddie arrive back at an empty Stonem house where Effy decides she needs to have sex with Freddie immediately and takes complete charge of him in the bedroom.

* * *

**Time: 04.05.38**

As JJ jumped into bed and settled back against the soft, comfortable pillows he stretched out an arm to turn out the bedside light and plunge the bedroom into pitch blackness. But he stopped momentarily as a thought came into his head and he reached for his mobile instead which was lying next to the lamp on the bedside table. He picked it up, chose the newest addition to his list of contacts and started pressing skilfully on the buttons, composing a short but very sweet text message to send to the new lady in his life. Once he had finished texting he paused briefly to review the end product before sending it, anxious to check that it properly expressed his true feelings.

Satisfied with the short love note that he had composed, he pressed the send button, replaced the phone on the table and switched off the light. He felt exhausted by the whirlwind events of the day but he was still on such a high, his head was still buzzing with unimagined excitement and joy that he couldn't fall asleep just yet. He felt a desperate compulsion to relive the best bits of the day in his mind, as if in so doing he would dispel all those nagging doubts and fears that he would wake up to find none of it was real.

He must have been trawling through each successive thrilling conversation, each exchange of nervous smiles with Mary for a good five minutes before he heard what he had been hoping to hear - the tell-tale sound of his phone bleeping to tell him he had received a text message. He stretched out his hand and picked up the phone, not bothering to turn on the light again, looked at the brightly illuminated screen and beamed a huge smile.

'Night JJ, c u 2moro. Thanx for 2day, it was the best.'

'Goodnight, Mary,' JJ whispered, putting the mobile back on the table. 'I can't wait for tomorrow to come.' He started counting down the time in his head until he would next see her but had fallen deliriously fast asleep before he had even got to one hundred.

* * *

**Time: 04.18.16**

Emily clutched the pillow with both fists clenched tight for dear life as wave after wave of almost unbearable pleasure tore through her body and threatened to render her breathless and practically unconscious.

'JESUS CHRIST!' she cried out, causing Naomi to stop for a second and look up, anxious to check that Emily hadn't accidentally banged her head on the wall or something stupid like that. Reassured that her girlfriend was fine and was only screaming out in ecstasy and not pain, Naomi went back to what she was doing which clearly was driving Emily wild with pleasure. Back and forth she went with her moist tongue over Emily's pink and swollen clit, up and down, side to side, as the fancy took her, alternating her movements between long, slow, deliberate strokes one minute and quick, darting flicks the next.

'Oh God, yes! Right there, right there!' yelled Emily suddenly as Naomi hit the spot for the redhead and caused her to arch her back and thrust her pelvis forcefully into Naomi's face – not that Naomi particularly needed any assistance to get her mouth any closer to Emily's trembling, pulsating, soaking wet mound. 'Don't stop, please, don't stop,' pleaded Emily, sounding nearly in tears, as she brought one hand back down to Naomi and pressed it firmly on the blonde girl's head, pushing it down on her more.

'Don't worry, Ems, I won't.' choked Naomi as she tightened her grip on Emily's slender waist and pulled her quivering body even closer to her as she continued working furiously with her tongue. She sensed that Emily was approaching her climax, that it must only be a matter of a minute or so away, if the increasingly violent shudders raking through her body and the quickening of her breathing was anything to go by, which her experiences with the redhead told her was indeed the case.

Naomi's judgement proved to be spot on as within a couple of minutes, and undoubtedly assisted by some final expert and judicious probing with a finger or two to heighten the sensations that were rippling the length of her slim frame, Emily came with an almighty roar – _or was it more of a loud squeal?_ Naomi wondered randomly, as she looked on with indescribable delight. '_No, I think it__ is__ more of a roar, or perhaps even a growl .'_

As an utterly spent and emotionally drained Emily tried to get her breath back and began to gently and slowly come down from the incredible high that Naomi had just taken her to, as she always did without fail, Naomi held her close and stroked her face, her hair, her neck, her heaving breasts whilst planting soft, tiny kisses everywhere along Emily's still trembling body.

'Enough, enough,' protested Emily, laughing. 'I can't take any more. You'll kill me, honestly,' she cried.

'What a way to go though,' smiled Naomi, as she reluctantly gave in to her girlfriend's pleas for mercy and contented herself with just lying on top of her and gently stroking her flushed, sweat stained face. 'Promise me that's how you'll do me in when I get too old and crusty and impossible to live with any more?'

'Yeah, okay, if you'll do the same for me,' laughed Emily and they both burst out into a fit of the giggles as they conjured up the bizarre image of them committing the world's weirdest ever suicide pact in sixty years time. After their giggling died down, Naomi put her arms around the back of Emily's head and gave her a long, slow, sensual kiss.

'Thanks for today, Ems. It was the best Valentine's Day I've ever had.'

'Same here,' said Emily, smiling at the blonde with her big brown eyes positively overflowing with love. 'I love you, Campbell.'

'I love you too, Fitch.' They kissed again, passionately and eagerly until Naomi suddenly pulled away with an expression of mild surprise and puzzlement.

'What the fuck...' she said, rummaging under the pillows behind Emily and pulling out something which she proceeded to examine closely with bewilderment. Emily stared at the object that Naomi had pulled out blankly to begin with, and then burst out laughing when she realised what it was.

'It's one of the chocolates I put under your pillow earlier today,' she explained, as her shoulders heaved with her manic giggling. 'It was meant to be a surprise when we got back. I'd completely forgotten about them.'

'You clown!' said Naomi, as she unwrapped the severely squashed mint chocolate wafer and slipped it between her lips so that half of the wafer was still showing. She looked deep into Emily's eyes, inviting the redhead to take the other half into her mouth which she duly did. As they sucked slowly and noisily on the thin chocolate mint their lips soon met halfway and they kissed gently as they chewed on their respective shares of the wafer before snuggling up to each other in blissful contentment at the end of a perfect day.

* * *

**Time: 04.43.57**

'Say that again,' said Cook after a pause that must have been only a few seconds but which seemed to him like a lifetime, during which he felt all his senses go numb and his heartbeat slow down to a complete standstill.

'I'm not pregnant,' she muttered, turning her head away so she wouldn't have to see his incredulous face. She went and sat down on a wall a few yards away from the night club and with complete indifference watched the last of the night-clubbers start to wend their weary way home in all directions.

'What the **fuck** do you mean, you're not pregnant? You told me you were!'

Cook's face was now contorted in rage as he advanced upon her, the dark menace in his voice sending an icy chill up the young girls' spine. She was afraid of what he might do to her – her grand plan to get her own back on him didn't seem such a great idea now, not with him standing over her, eyes blazing, fists clenched, spitting bile and abuse at her. She hadn't thought that long and hard about how he might react when she told him the truth. All she could think of was getting her own back on him, putting him through the same emotional mangle as he had so callously put her a couple of months ago. But now she had to face the consequences of _her_ actions, in the same way as she had been determined to make Cook face up to the consequences of his.

'I know I did. But I just wanted to get back at you for what you did to me. I wanted to teach you a lesson and make you realise you can't go round walking all over every single person you meet.'

'How do I know you're telling the truth now, you fucking bitch?'

'Because I am. I can show you the pregnancy test kit result if you want – if it's still at home.'

Cook stared at her defiantly quivering face in silence for some time while he weighed up whether or not to believe her this time or not. Perhaps this was all part of the master plan, to make him believe first this story and then that story so that he became utterly confused and bewildered about what the fuck was going on. But there was something in her voice, some indefinable sparkle in her eyes that convinced him that she was being honest with him this time. He bit his lip, shut his eyes and took time to count to ten – or at least five, anyway. Cook didn't have the necessary patience to count all the way up to ten before letting rip with all his barely pent-up emotions.

'Have you got ANY FUCKING IDEA what you've put me through today?'

'Well, did _**you**_ give a toss about me when you shagged me at that party, Cook? I mean, I could as easily have become pregnant as not! You didn't give that a second's thought, did you? You just felt like one final shag before you left and it was tough titty for me I was the only girl left standing – even if I was too pissed to stop you.'

'I don't remember you putting up much of a fight,' snarled Cook, though unconvincingly as vague memories of that night of wanton debauchery at the girl's sister's party started to permeate what passed for his brain at this time of night.

'I was too far gone, Cook! And you knew it. That's why you hit on me. You knew I was in no fit state to fend you off! You took advantage of me and I don't suppose you lost a second's sleep about it afterwards, did you?'

Cook fell silent. He knew she was right but he couldn't bring himself to admit it to her. If she had said no, if she had tried to fight him off, if she had simply told him to fuck off, then he wouldn't have done anything. He knew he was a horny bastard that would cheerfully fuck any girl so long as she was alive and breathing, but he wasn't a complete animal. He would never rape a girl – there were too many perfectly willing victims for him to have to resort to physically forcing himself on anyone. But he was now painfully and shamefully reminded of the fact that she wasn't really compos mentis enough to turn his advances down. He had taken advantage of her and hadn't given a fuck about the possible consequences – until this very moment, of course.

'So what, you dreamt up this sick idea to put me through hell and back, then?'

'Something like that. It was my sister who said I should teach you a lesson. So I came up with this idea to make you feel as shit scared as I was for a while.'

'And bringing your Dad into it was all part of the plan, was it?' Cook had suddenly remembered the brutal confrontation he'd had with the girl's father in the pub.

'No! That wasn't meant to happen, you've got to believe me! But Mum found the pregnancy testing kit box by accident. I should have thrown it away somewhere else, not just put it in the rubbish bin at home. That was my fault.'

'So why didn't you tell him you weren't pregnant?' raged Cook, scarcely able to credit the ruthlessness and vindictiveness of this mere slip of a girl.

'Because……..I don't know…..because I was afraid of him, I suppose……..he went ballistic and I …..I just clammed up, I guess. Besides, I didn't think he would hunt you down like he did and drag me along with him. I begged him not to go looking for you but he wouldn't listen. He was livid, he said he was going to kill you and……I suppose at the time I thought you deserved to get a slap from him anyway.'

Cook shook his head, threw his hands up in the air and bringing them down behind his head in a gesture of disbelief and anguish and went off for a walk, pacing up and down, going around in random circles as he struggled to put a lid on his rising anger and his shattered emotions which were all over the place.

'Well, look on the bright side,' she said in a very low, soft voice, as if more than a trifle nervous to suggest that anything good may have come out of the day. 'At least you aren't going to have to arrange to have your baby aborted……. Or marry me,' she added as an afterthought to which Cook replied with a snort, quickly followed up by a spluttering and heartfelt sneer.

'Oh, there was NO fucking chance in the world of that happening, babe, believe me! I think I'd rather your Dad had killed me!'

Cook suddenly felt a strong need to be shot of this girl, to be alone with his thoughts and feelings. He'd had enough drama for one day. He wanted to get back to his room, crash out on his bed and sleep on everything. He didn't trust himself to say or do the right things any more if he stayed with her any longer.

'I'm sorry it went as far as it did, Cook. But I don't regret doing it one bit. I wanted to get my own back on you and it worked. Somebody had to stand up to you for once.'

Cook looked across at her with a sullen, resentful expression and resisted the temptation to go over and give her some more choice words of abuse. What good would that do? It would only serve to justify her actions all the more in her eyes. He was a completely selfish, thoughtless shit after all and to give her another right mouthful or, worse, a bit of a slap, would only prove it for the entire world to see. Go home, Cook, he said to himself, just get the fuck out of here.

He pursed his lips, got out his packet of cigarettes, lit one, dragged on it for several seconds and then puffed out a huge vortex of smoke into the cold, dark air before turning smartly on his heels.

'Just…….keep away from me, okay,' he shouted as he strode away into the night, 'and I'll keep well away from you. And don't forget to tell your Dad, will you?'

* * *

**Time: 05.03.27**

Effy and Freddie were fast asleep in Effy's bed, worn out to the point of exhaustion by an extremely energetic and passionate shagging session in which Effy had thrown Freddie all around the bed and taken total control of him. At the end of it they had collapsed breathless and panting furiously in each other's arms, laughing together at the memory of their feverish and frantic couplings and longing only for sleep, deep, glorious sleep.

Neither had taken long to slip into peaceful unconsciousness and soon Freddie's steady, rhythmic breathing could be heard above the sound of Effy's much quieter and lighter tones. But a casual observer, had he slipped unheard and unnoticed into the bedroom to sit on the edge of the bed and watch our couple, would have seen Effy gradually start to lose control of her normal, regulated, sleep patterns. Over a period of about a quarter of an hour, this secret intruder would have observed with bated breath and more than a puzzled expression as Effy began twitching her head and shaking her body under the soft, warm duvet.

At first her movements were small and barely noticeable but gradually they increased in intensity until after a while she was shaking and jerking her body quite violently and her breathing had become heavy and uneven. Her eyes, which were tight shut, began flickering rapidly and soon some strange sounds came tumbling out of her half-open mouth, not really cries as such, more grunts, groans, murmurs and mumbles, a pot-pourri of noises and sounds which defied rational explanation or interpretation.

It seemed almost inevitable that this inexorable build-up of irregular jerky movements and sounds would lead to some climax, some outpouring of emotion and physical response and when it came it woke Freddie up with a terrifying start -as you would expect it to, with his girlfriend sitting bolt upright in the bed next to him, screaming her head off, with sweat pouring down her face, her mouth contorted in fear and shaking so violently that he thought for one second that she was having a seizure.

'Effy! Effy! What's the matter? Effy, it's alright, I'm here!'

He grabbed hold of her shoulders and tried to shake the clearly terrified young girl out of whatever trance-like state she had worked herself up in to. He took gentle hold of her face and turned her head towards him as he tried to calm her down and reassure her that nothing bad was happening to her, that she was perfectly safe in bed with him and not falling off the top of a tall building to her death or drowning helplessly in a huge expanse of ocean.

As her worryingly convulsive breathing gradually abated and her cries and screams bit by bit became quieter and more controlled, Effy burst into tears and threw her arms around Freddie's shoulders, crying hysterically into the side of his face as he patted her on the back and told her everything was fine and that she was just having a nightmare.

Eventually Effy found the strength to speak, albeit haltingly and with many interruptions to catch her breath, as she tried to explain the reason for her frightening out burst in the dead calm of night.

'It was Mum!' she panted, wiping away a few stray tears which were trolling down her cheeks. 'I had got home and found her on the sofa like this afternoon, but she was already dead! She wouldn't wake up. I tried shaking her but she wouldn't respond, Freddie!'

'It's okay, it's okay, Ef. It was just a horrible, horrible dream. Your Mum's fine, you know that. She's coming home tomorrow. Everything's going to be alright.'

Effy took some deep breaths to regain her composure as Freddie looked deeply into her big, scared eyes and nodded calmly to reassure her and put her mind at rest that he was speaking the truth, that she hadn't dreamt her Mum's recovery from near death.

'Come on, lie down and relax. You're all stressed out, you know. Anyone would be this fucked up if they had gone through what you have today. It's perfectly natural and normal to have thoughts and images like that racing through your head. You're still trying to come to terms with it all. Don't worry; you won't have to deal with this on your own. I'll be here as long as you need me to, okay?'

Effy felt comforted by Freddie's calm, soft tone and his common sense, rational explanation of her nightmarish vision of horror which had so shaken her up and reduced her to a screaming, gibbering emotional wreck. She settled back down under the duvet and pressed herself against his warm, strong, lean body, taking renewed strength from his quiet composure.

'You will be here when I wake up again, won't you, Freds?'

'Of course I will,' he said with a smile. 'You don't get rid of me that easily, you know. I'm not Cook, after all!'

* * *

**Time: 05.27.14**

Angela woke up with a raging thirst, a mouth that felt like the bottom of a parrot's cage and a thumping headache. She threw back the bedspread, got up onto her feet rather unsteadily, having to hold on to the bedside table for some support for a few seconds until she had got her bearings and made for the bedroom door. She had no recollection of actually getting into bed at all. She presumed that Pandora must have put her into bed and she made a mental note to thank her daughter the next morning for having taken care of her so well at the end of an evening that she knew she would look back on with a huge amount of embarrassment and regret later on.

She slowly made her down stairs and headed straight for the kitchen and a refreshing glass of cold water to clear her throat and to take away the severe dehydration she was experiencing. After downing a glass in record time and pouring herself another to sip more slowly and take back upstairs with her, she moved out of the kitchen and went into the living room. She stood stock still as her eyes took in the sight of Pandora and Thomas crashed out on the sofa fast asleep, Panda lying on top of Thomas with her head on his chest and one arm passed neatly around his back,

Angela puffed out her cheeks and blinked furiously, fighting an inner battle with her conscience about how to react and what, if anything, she should do or say. Pandora had broken one of her hardest and firmest rules of the house in bringing a boy back with her, never mind actually falling asleep with him in the same room. All her natural maternal instincts were screaming at her to put a stop to this nonsense right now but somehow she couldn't bring herself to wake them up and administer the deserved telling-off and punishment. She was acutely aware, even in her fuzzy post-inebriated state of mind, that she was in no position to occupy any moral high ground that night. Any words that needed to be said would have to be kept under wraps until the next day when a more objective and restrained view of the incidents of that evening could be put into some proper perspective.

She would leave them undisturbed for now, she decided, and made to tiptoe away back upstairs. However in her current unsteady and unfocussed state she failed to watch carefully where she was going and had only taken a few steps when she went sprawling on her hands and knees after tripping over Pandora's trainers which her daughter had absent-mindedly thrown down on to the carpet any old where.

As she went flying and hit the ground with a thump, the impact must have played havoc with her digestive system which was still a touch on the fragile side and she inadvertently let out an almighty belch which would have woken up the dead. It certainly broke the sleep pattern of her daughter who was a light sleeper at the best of times and had only been asleep for some ten minutes.

'What was that?' cried Pandora with a start and sat bolt upright, looking around the room in a mild panic, terrified that burglars might have got into the house and were helping themselves to her vast personal collection of ice cream and doughnuts in the kitchen.

As Angela remained motionless on the carpet, not daring to move or say anything for fear of having to explain what had happened, Pandora nudged Thomas in the ribs to wake him up.

'Thommo1 Wake up! I think we've got burglars. You've got to protect me!' she whispered loudly enough for any burglar to hear as clear as a bell if they were pilfering the kitchen's contents.

'What? Are you sure?' asked a still sleepy Thomas, far from keen on the idea of tackling a burglar in the dead of night and thinking it highly unlikely in any case.

'I heard a noise. I thought it was in this room but I can't see anything. Put the lamp on.'

'It's okay Pandora,' said Angela, getting up slowly from the floor. She couldn't allow her daughter to get scared at the thought that there might be burglars in the house when it was she who had woken them up.

'Mum? What the flippin' heck are you doing in here? You're not checking up on us again, are you!? We haven't done anything, I promise!'

'No, dear. I just came down for a glass of water, came in there and then tripped over something on the carpet. I didn't mean to wake you up. Go back to sleep and we'll talk about things in the morning.'

'Cool. Goodnight Mum.'

'Goodnight dear.'

'Say goodnight, Thommo,' said Pandora, digging Thomas in the ribs for the second time in a minute.

'Goodnight Mrs Moon,' said Thomas nervously, not sure if she had even noticed that he was lying under Pandora or not.

'Um…..yes….goodnight Thomas,' said Angela hesitantly.

'Mum?'

'Yes, Pandora?'

'Are you going to invite Stuart round for tea like I invited Thomas?'

'We'll talk about all this **tomorrow**, Pandora. Get some sleep, please.'

'Okey-dokey. He looked well fit, though, Mum. I reckon you've gone and pulled a right hunk there. Maybe we can go on a double-date some time.'

* * *

**Time: 05.59.45**

The alarm clock went off just a few seconds ahead of the appointed hour that Emily had set for it to go off twenty-four hours earlier. But the previous morning she had already been wide awake with nervous anticipation for some time and so had been able to switch off the alarm so it didn't wake Naomi. By contrast, on February 15th at six o'clock both girls had been fast asleep for only an hour and a half so when the alarm sounded it woke them both with a shuddering jolt to their respective systems.

'Jesus Christ!' said Naomi with a groan, turning over to look at Emily through no more than half-open, squinting, and bleary eyes. 'What fucking time is it?'

'Oh God!' replied Emily apologetically as she struggled valiantly to stretch out an arm to turn off the little alarm clock that she had deliberately placed on her side of the bed more than twenty-four hours ago. 'It's only six o'clock. I forgot to switch off the setting. This was to wake me up yesterday morning to give me plenty of time to prepare our breakfast in bed.'

'Oh, for fucks sake, Ems. I love you dearly but not at six in the morning after only an hour's sleep.'

'Sorry, Naoms. I love you too, but you can do breakfast next year, okay?'

* * *

**AUTHOR'S FINAL MESSAGE**

Well, that was the 12th and FINAL chapter of this special Valentine's Day story and I would just like to thank everyone who has supported the story right from the start and taken the time to comment on it and review it at various times as it's progressed. Your feedback has been really much appreciated and I have been genuinely chuffed by your kind comments. I'm glad that you appear to have enjoyed the story and I hope you liked this last chapter and that a few of you can find some time to pass a final comment on it and the story as a whole.

This will be the last Skins fanfic I shall ever write, I'm certain and therefore it's fitting that I have ended it with Emily and Naomi waking up in bed together at Naomi's since that was how I started my first ever Skins fanfic back at the beginning of last May with a piece called 'A Perfect Start to the Day'. They have been my two favourite characters from series 3 all the way so it's good to end with them here.

I am hoping to move on to write some different stuff altogether in the future – maybe some comedy or a psychological thriller, I haven't made up my mind yet. If there's any film, TV show, book etc that you would like to see me have a go at writing about, please do let me know by sending me a personal message to my inbox. Remember, this Valentine's Day story came from an original idea given to me by darkangel20098 to whom I again must pass on my thanks for giving me permission to use that excellent idea.

Thanks once again to all fellow Skins fans for all your support over the last nine months and I hope I can hear from some of you again in the future on some new stuff.

**Matureskinfan (John**)


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